IPL 2021 is around the corner and likely to be held in India. If the 2020 edition was anything to go by, the upcoming season should be an even enthralling one.
One team that has caught the attention of fans year after year is Royal Challengers Bangalore. Call it the Virat Kohli factor or just the sheer passion of the fans, RCB always becomes a talking point. RCB might not have an IPL trophy to their name but make sure they always get an excellent squad around.
This year as well, RCB have a solid lineup in their ranks. Here we list five RCB players RCB to watch out for in 2021. We have not included AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli for obvious reasons as they are expected to do well.
Joshua Philippe:
The wicket-keeper batsman from Australia did not have the best of times in the recently-concluded IPL season scoring just 78 runs in 5 innings. The UAE surfaces did not suit Philippe’s free-flowing style of play, but he will be keen on inflicting damage on Indian surfaces. Philippe has been a force to reckon with at the Big Bash League, where in 40 matches, he has scored 1064 runs averaging 33.25. He will want to bring some of that talent into the IPL.
A key reason why Philippe is one player to watch out for is that RCB play their home matches at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, which has one of the flattest pitches in the country. The smaller boundaries are also going to help the opener.
Related: Who is the highest run scorer in IPL history?
Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal gave a good account of himself in his debut IPL season, where he finished as RCB’s highest run-scorer with 473 runs to his name, averaging 31.53. That he finished the season with more runs than AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli is itseld a massive testimony to his talent.
Padikkal is touted as the next big thing to come out of Indian cricket, and for a good reason. He was the leading run-scorer in the 2019-20 season of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and Vijay Hazare Trophy ahead of some of the biggest names in Indian cricket.
The 20-year-old has turned quite a few heads in his short career, and the fact that he will be playing most of the games in his home ground of M Chinnaswamy Stadium augurs well for the youngster.
Navdeep Saini
Having made his debut in all three forms of the game for India, Navdeep Saini has impressed one and all with his raw pace and ability to hit the right channel consistently. Saini did not have the best of times in IPL 2020, where he could only manage six wickets in 13 outings.
However, now that he has represented India across formats, Saini seems to have found fresh confidence. He might emerge to be the main man in the bowling department for Virat Kohli and CO. Saini’s uncanny ability to bowl yorkers at will stands out. He will be hoping to have a big season in the upcoming IPL.
Yuzvendra Chahal
The leg-spinner has played 98 of his 99 IPL games for Bangalore and has been consistently doing well for them. The leading wicket-taker for RCB, Chahal has picked 121 wickets at an impeccable balls/wicket ratio of 17.4.
Even on the flat Chinnaswamy surface, where boundary sizes are tiny, Chahal has managed to pick wickets at regular intervals. He hasn’t had the best of times for India recently and will hope for a good at IPL 2021.
Chris Morris
Chris Morris can turn out to be a dark horse for RCB this season, with both bat and ball. He was injured for the starting leg of IPL 2020 but got among the wickets as soon as he came into the side.
In 9 innings in IPL 2020, Morris picked up 11 wickets, striking every 17.3 balls. What stood out here was his terrific economy rate of 6.6. He made sure that even when he was not picking wickets, he kept the run-flow to a minimum.
Besides, Morris can be a dangerous striker of the ball coming lower down the order. His strike rate in IPL reads a phenomenal 157.9 and at Bengaluru, he can cause carnage. Morris is certainly one player to watch out for going into IPL 2021.
These are five players from RCB to watch out for this year. Will you pick them in your Rummy Bo fantasy cricket team?
