IPL 2020: 3 uncapped Royal Challengers Bangalore players who deserve a chance in the playing XI

With just over six weeks to go for the 13th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the craze among the fans is getting stronger. And Royal Challengers Bangalore, as always, will continue the hunt for their maiden title.

The Royal Challengers have struggled to strike the right team combination over the years. They have reached the finals of the competition thrice but failed to cross the line each time.

RCB finished last in the 2019 points table, managing only five wins from 14 league games, and will be desperate to better their performance this time around.

Also see – PSL points table

The management has revamped the support staff, roping in former New Zealand head coach Mike Hesson as the Director of Cricket and Simon Katich as the head coach. They have retained their core group of players and brought in some valuable reinforcements at the auction. The introduction of Aaron Finch along with Chris Morris and Isuru Udana is likely to do wonders for the Bangalore franchise.

Amidst these star-studded cricketers, RCB also boasts of some terrific uncapped players who have grabbed eyeballs with their impressive showings in domestic cricket. On that note, we take a look at three uncapped players from the team who deserve a chance in the playing XI at some point this season.

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1. Pavan Deshpande

Pavan Deshpande

A 30-year-old all-rounder from Karnataka, Pavan Deshpande has been making the news with his clean hitting. From being the highest-paid cricketer in the Karnataka Premier League in 2019 to becoming a vital member of Karnataka in the domestic circuit, Deshpande has come a long way.

Deshpande was roped in by RCB in 2018 for Rs. 20 lakh but had to warm the benches throughout the season. The Hesson-led management has once again roped in the experienced all-rounder, intending to strengthen the middle-order.

Deshpande boasts a strike rate of almost 150 in the shorter format and can also roll his arm when necessary. Bangalore have Shivam Dube in their ranks, but he has failed to step up in crisis situations. That is where Deshpande can come in.

The Karnataka-born cricketer can strike the ball a country mile and could be a valuable surprise element in the team.

2. Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal has been a vital cog of Karnataka’s wheel in the ongoing season. His partnership along with KL Rahul at the top has reaped rich dividends in the domestic circuit, and the left-handed batsman will be one of the cricketers to watch out for in the 13th edition of the IPL.

Padikkal was snapped up by the Royal Challengers ahead of IPL 2019. The Virat Kohli-led side endured a nightmarish season though, winning just five out of 14 matches, and Padikkal never got a chance to prove himself.

Still, the experience of sharing the dressing room with the legends came in handy for the southpaw, who piled up 609 runs in the Vijay Hazare Trophy to finish as the highest run-scorer. His superb run continued in the domestic T20 competition where he amassed 580 runs from 12 matches at a strike-rate of over 175.

The 19-year-old’s outstanding form attracted high praise from Bangalore director of cricket Mike Hesson.

“Being a local Karnataka lad (Devdutt Padikkal), this domestic season has shown an ability to step up quickly. To have such an excellent season when only 19 is very heartening for RCB for sure,” Mike Hesson said, as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.

The southpaw could replace veteran wicket-keeper batsman Parthiv Patel and partner Australia's Aaron Finch in the top order for Bangalore in the forthcoming edition.

3. Shahbaz Ahmed

Shahbaz Ahmed

Shabhaz Ahmed recently hogged the headlines with his gritty knock of 61 runs against Rajasthan, which gave Bengal an important win. Ahmed would want to contribute for RCB too with his accurate left-arm spin bowling, excellent fielding and ability to clear the ropes with massive hits.

Hailing from Haryana, the 25-year-old was tagged as an outsider in Bengal when he moved there in 2017. Two years down the line, Ahmed has become a vital part of their line-up.

In the ongoing Ranji Trophy, he has already played two-match winning knocks and has been massively successful with the ball. Ahmed also has been successful in T20s, scoring at a strike-rate of 128.45 and boasting an economy rate of less than 7.

Ahmed, who is looking forward to playing in the same team as Virat Kohli, thinks of this as a life-changing opportunity.

“I’m really excited to share the dressing room with Virat Kohli. This is a lifetime opportunity for me. If I get an opportunity to play in the IPL, I would just like to replicate the same there — contribute with bat and ball. It would help a lot in my career,” Shahbaz told PTI.

With Pawan Negi’s stock going down considerably, Ahmed’s left-arm spin can come in handy for the Bangalore side in the 2020 season.