Royal Challengers Bangalore started of very badly in IPL. They finished on the seventh position and got booed for the team that they selected. People said that the Rahul Dravid led side looks more like a Test side than a T-20. But, after the first season debacle, the team from Bangalore proved it to the rest of the cricket fraternity that they have it in them to be a successful side and can beat any team in the tournament.

The second season saw Bangalore at their best, they played some wonderful cricket in South Africa to reach the finals and had a very good chance to win, but they failed to cross the line. In 2010, they again reached the semifinals but lost to a spirited Mumbai Indians side.

Last year was very interesting for the Bangalore franchisee. They were reeling at the half stage mark in the tournament and were looking down and out. But, they turned the tide in their favor and reached the finals for the second time. This time too they failed to cross the final hurdle and lost to Chennai Super Kings.

In IPL-5, RCB team will be looking to cross that final hurdle to win the title that has eluded them despite some terrific performance in the past. RCB have all the ammunitions in their tank to win the title and are one of the major contenders to lift the trophy in season 5.

Batting

International Players: Calypso King Chris Gayle will open the innings for the Bangalore side. Gayle joined RCB last year in the middle of the tournament and took the team to the finals single-handedly. Gayle tormented all the bowlers who came his way and won the orange cap as he was the leading run-scorer of IPL-4. Even in the finals everything depended on him and the moment he failed the Bangalore team surrendered. Bangalore has another destructive opener in their side in the form of TM Dilshan. Dilshan was not that effective in the last season and will be looking to change that. Dilshan has played some quick knocks in the recent past and will be looking to announce himself in this years’ IPL.

AB de Villiers will bat for RCB in the middle order. AB is an efficient batsman and has proven his worth time and again. He is a busy player and has the talent to clear the boundaries at will. He is one of the best batsmen going around and is a vital player for RCB’s cause.

Domestic Players: Indian batting sensation Virat Kohli will take the center stage for RCB once again. Kohli has been in prolific form of late and is one of the most dangerous batsmen in present scenario. He is coming into the tournament on the back of some splendid innings and is already considered to be one of the best ever Indian batsmen. Kohli has some superb shots in his armory and he will be very hard to stop for any opposition.

Kohli will be well supported by Cheteshwar Pujara and Saurabh Tiwary . Pujara has showed that he is a big match player, but has always been prone to injuries. Pujara has the opportunity to put his name in selectors’ mind by performing in the league which does play a role in the Indian team selection. Tiwary on the other hand has to prove that what he did for Mumbai Indians he can do for RCB as well. Tiwary had a bad last year with his new team and will be hoping to change that. The big left-hander can play some really good shots and paces his innings beautifully. Mohammad Kaif and Mayank Agarwal will also provide stability to the RCB batting line-up.

Bowling

International Players: RCB roped in the bowling genius Muttiah Muralitharan in this years’ auction. Muralitharan is a class bowler, one of the best who took the field in the history of cricket and RCB will depend on him heavily. No matter how old this bowler is, he will take wickets till the time he has a ball in his hands. He is a gifted individual and a lot will depend on him. RCB captain Daniel Vettori is one of the most intelligent cricketers of the world. Vettori is a wily left arm spinner and has the ability to stop the run flow at any stage of the match. He bowls with tremendous skills and is always very hard to hit. His batting skills are always an added advantage for him and his team. In the fast bowling department RCB have two T-20 specialists in the form of Dirk Nannes and Charl Langeveldt. Both these bowlers have the ability to ball Yorkers, slower balls and a good bouncer. These two new ball bowlers can swing the ball and can get early wickets for their team.

Domestic Players: Zaheer Khan will spearhead the RCB bowling attack. He is one of the best bowlers in present day cricket and has a tremendous control over his bowling. He is an absolute nightmare for the left handers and can swing the ball both ways. Khan has struggled in this completion a bit as he has not delivered what is expected from this high-class performer and he will be looking to change that. He will be supported by one of the biggest buy of this years’ auction – Vinay Kumar.

Vinay Kumar is a local lad and is a crafty bowler He may not look the most menacing bowler but he sure is effective. He runs in every ball and is always looking to pick wickets. Vinay Kumar will have to perform to shut the mouth of his critics who doubted that whether he deserved all that money or not. Abhimanyu Mithun and Sreenath Aravind had a decent outing last time and will look to continue their form for the Bangalore team. In the spin department RCB do have Syed Mohammad in their armory. Mohammad performed brilliantly last year and will be hoping to continue his good form. He balls with tremendous control and accuracy and is very hard to get away.

Players to watch out from Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, Daniel Vettori

Royal Challengers Bangalore complete squad: Abhimanyu Mithun, Ronit More, Mayank Agarwal, Charl Langeveldt, Karun Nair, Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad, Cm Gautam, Harshal Patel, Saurabh Tiwary, Luke Pomersbach, S Thiyagarajan, Ab De Villiers, Asad Pathan, Abrar Kazi, Muttiah Muralitharan, Zaheer Khan, Ryan Ninnan, Andrew Mcdonald, Vijay Zol, Sreenath Aravind, Vinay Kumar, Raajoo Bhatkal, Dirk Nannes, Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Mohammad Kaif, K P Appanna, T M Dilshan, Arun Karthik, Rilee Rossouw, Chris Gayle, Daniel Vettori.

By Gaurav Jha
Indian Sports News