IPL 2018: Top 5 uncapped RCB players to watch out for

Royal Challengers Bangalore are traditionally known for their strong batting line-up. They had some of the heavyweights of the T20 format in Ross Taylor, Chris Gayle and Tillakaratne Dilshan yet they never managed to lift the trophy despite reaching the finals thrice in 2009, 2011 and 2016.

Having had a dismal season in 2017, where they finished bottom, RCB signed some talented bowlers in Chris Woakes and Umesh Yadav.

This season, RCB arguably have the most balanced squad they ever had. A solid bowling unit, all-rounders and batsmen apart, they also have the bench strength in all departments that can make it big.

While the attention will undoubtedly be on the bigwigs, the uncapped players will play the crucial role of supporting the stars. Here is a look at the top 5 uncapped players of RCB to watch out for in IPL 2018.

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#5 Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini

The 25-year-old Delhi lad grabbed all eyes with his fierce bowling in the domestic circuit. He consistently breached the 140 KMPH mark and was instrumental in Delhi reaching finals of the Ranji Trophy. He mustered 34 wickets in 8 matches.

As RCB have traditionally been weak in their bowling department, Saini will most likely get more chances and has the potential to become a key bowler for the team.

#4 Kulwant Khejroliya

Kulwant Khejroliya

The story of Kulwant Khejroliya is an inspiring one. He started his career as a waiter at a restaurant in Goa in 2015. After one of his friends suggested he play serious cricket, he joined the Lal Bahadur Sastri Cricket club in Delhi in 2016 which produced the players like Gautam Gambhir and Nitish Rana.

Within a year, he made his debut for Delhi in the 2017 Vijay Hazare Trophy. The fast bowler was acquired by Mumbai Indians in 2017 at a base price of 10 Lakhs but he didn't get a chance to feature in the final eleven. But the youngster kept working hard and was instrumental behind Delhi winning the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2018.

He picked up 14 wickets in 10 matches at an impressive economy of 6.56 that earned him a spot in RCB bowling department for a decent 85 lakhs.

#3 Murugan Ashwin

Murugan Ashwin

When Murugan Ashwin's name flashed on the TV screen with a base price of mere 10 Lakhs during the auctions of IPL 2016, many would have thought it was just another obscure name from the South. But to everyone's surprise, he was sold to Pune Supergiant for a hefty price of 4.5 Crores, which was 45 times his base price.

He finished the season with 7 wickets in 10 games at an economy of 8.45 but he did a far better job than his numbers suggest. With the captain backing him and giving him the freedom to try different things, Murugan Ashwin has the ability to pull off something special this season.

#2 Manan Vohra

Manan Vohra plays a shot for KXIP

Punjab-born Manan Vohra was one of the better performers for KXIP. Vohra can play the role of an aggressor in the power-play overs and can also play with a calm head while building the innings.

His 95 off 50 balls during Punjab's clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad showed how good a player he is. With him eyeing the national colours, expect a few strong performances in the coming months.

#1 Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan

Sarfaraz Khan was the biggest surprise retention of the 11th season of IPL. He was retained for 1.57 Crores along with Captain Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers.

Sarfaraz was 17 when he was bought for 50 Lakhs by his current franchise in IPL 8. The teenager made the most of the limited opportunities he got by making the cricketing world sit and take notice of his incredible and brave batting skills.

His innings of 35 (10 balls) against Sun Risers Hyderabad in IPL 8 where he tormented Bhuvneshwar Kumar -- 23 runs off 5 balls -- showed the world that he on his day, he can be unstoppable.