IPL 2021: AB de Villiers or Glenn Maxwell, who should bat at No. 3 for RCB?

RCB are set to start their IPL 2021 season against Mumbai Indians and the Bengaluru-based side boast one of the scariest batting lineups on paper. However, the team still has an important decision to make: who should bat at No.3 now that Virat Kohli will open alongside Devdutt Padikkal?

The obvious choice is to go with AB de Villiers at that position. The general thumb of the rule is to have your best batsmen facing the highest number of deliveries. A settled de Villiers would be a nightmare to bowl to in the death and the South African could go berserk without breaking into a sweat.

That said, RCB are keeping their options open. AB de Villiers does have moments when his strike rate against spinners in the middle overs dips, making him more susceptible to being dismissed. MI's Krunal Pandya has got the better of the South African batsman over the last few seasons and the RCB think-tank wil be wary of this fact.

AB de Villiers has played 57 innings at No.3 in the IPL and has an unbeaten hundred to his name along with 18 fifties. His strike rate hovers around 154.44, although when he bats at No. 4 it falls slightly to 146.88.

Could RCB go with Glenn Maxwell at No.3 in IPL 2021?

Unless RCB are thinking about saving Maxwell towards the end for a fireworks show, which really hasn't happened of late, they may go with the Aussie at No.3. More so than justifying his price tag, it gives Maxwell some wiggle room to settle in before unleashing those trademark switch hits and booming sixes.

Maxwell does have his share of weaknesses against spin. However, he has defended himself against such accusations in the past and even termed a query on his fluency against spin as a "shocking question".

To be fair to Glen Maxwell, we have also seen him take the slow-armers to the cleaners. Ideally, if RCB intend to give him more time in the middle, he may bat up over de Villiers.

The Aussie's record at No.3 suggests he may fare better if he bats lower down the order. In his 14 innings while batting third, he's scored 442 runs as opposed to 565 runs while batting at No.4.

Where Maxwell and de Villiers are evenly matched is in their scoring rates. Both batsmen are busy players and stagnation is seldom seen when they stride out to the middle.

Will RCB look for alternative options at No.3?

This is where Mohammed Azharuddeen and Rajat Patidar may come in as potential options for RCB to experiment with. Following a good domestic run, RCB will look to these players to see off the spin attack, allowing the likes of Maxwell and de Villiers to run riot in the death overs.

RCB's could choose to save their best for the last, but should Azharuddeen or Patidar take their time and slow the game down, the pressure factor could creep in. That would potentially stifle the big hitters and may prove to be detrimental to RCB's hopes of notching up huge totals or chasing ones that need a boundary off almost every delivery.

What are your thoughts on who should be RCB's No.3? Let us know in the comments below!