Royal Challengers Bangalore had a good season last year as they made it out of the group stage and almost made it to the final. They spent little to no money in the TATA IPL 2023 Auction because they had most of their needs met. They will be roaring to come back to Chinnaswamy stadium and finally win their first ever title. Sanjay Bangar and the rest of the coaching staff have their work cut out to find that elusive combination that will make RCB a dominant force. Let’s take a closer look at RCB’s team for this seasons IPL.

Batting

Faf du Plessis, Fin Allen, Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar make up their top 4. Rajat Patidar has a brilliant batting average of 70 in the last two domestic seasons. Glenn Maxwell will try to make an impact in the middle-overs but his slot in the batting order is yet to be determined. Suyash Prabhudessai and Mahipal Lomror will probably compete for the position of No 6. Dinesh Karthik had a fantastic season last year, and RCB will be hoping he can replicate some of his heroics this year as well.  Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel and Shabaz Ahmed can bat and could do some damage in the death overs.

All-rounders

The team’s noteworthy all-rounders include Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, and spin bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga from Sri Lanka. Hasaranga possesses the essential bowling and batting abilities. Shahbaz Ahmed can be lively with his spin bowling, and can be as effective as anyone in the batting area. New Zealand used Finn Allen to bowl a few overs in the T20 World Cup, so expect RCB to do the same. Maxwell, who can bat anywhere, is another versatile option for RCB.

Bowling

Pace bowling has always been an issue for RCB in previous seasons but they have a formidable speed attack this time. Josh Hazlewood, Mohammad Siraj and Harshal patel would be their primary pace bowlers. They also have great depth in their attack as identified by the presence of David Willey, Reece Topley and Siddarth Kaul. They also possess great variety in the spinning department.  Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasarang and Karn Sharma can be match-winners on their day. Glenn Maxwell too can bowl some critical overs in the middle-overs.              

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Strength

Faf du Plessis, Fin Allen, and Virat Kohli form an excellent top three. If any of them gets going, expect them to make a big one. They also have good batting depth, with Hasaranga, Harshal, and Shahbaz among their ranks. They also have a lot of all-rounders to choose from.

Their bowling arsenal is also pretty good. With Mohammad Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, and Harshal Patel, they have a strong fast bowling unit. If one of their primary bowlers goes for runs, their backups – Reece Topley, David Willey, and Siddharth Kaul – can fill in. Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Glenn Maxwell comprise a solid spin-bowling core, with Karn Sharma serving as a backup.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) Weakness

RCB’s midde-order seem to lack the firepower that some of the other teams do. Wicket-keeping also looks weak as Dinesh Karthik hasn’t played a lot of domestic cricket recently and their backup option Anuj Rawat is yet to be tested on the big stage. The Challengers will be playing their home games in Chinnaswamy, where their bowlers usually have a tough time. The absence of Yuzvendra Chahal may be felt if Hasaranga does not perform to the best of his abilities.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad for 2023

Wicketkeepers: Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik.

Batters: Faf du Plessis (SA), Finn Allen (NZ), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks (ENG).

All-rounders: Wanindu Hasaranga (SL), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell (AUS), Shahbaz Ahmed, Sonu Yadav, Manoj Bhandage.

Bowlers: Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood (AUS), Siddarth Kaul, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Karn Sharma, David Willey (ENG), Avinash Singh, Rajan Kumar, Reece Topley (ENG), Himanshu Sharma.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) expected playing eleven:

 Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) fixture list for IPL 2023

Here are the full fixture list for Chennai Super Kings (CSK) this season.

Also read the full team analysis for the Chennai Super kings here.