Royal Challengers Bangalore has acquired some intriguing players, and the squad has taken on a new appearance. With skipper Kohli stepping down, it will be fascinating to watch the new captain and see if he can lead his team to their first ever tournament victory.

RCB has managed to keep a senior and experienced player in every aspect of the playing XI – batsman, all-rounder, and bowler – by retaining Virat, Glenn Maxwell, and Siraj. When RCB had to release crucial game-winning players, like as Chahal, Devdutt Padikal, and Navdeep Saini, they were on the fishy side. Let’s see if RCB was able to find a great replacement for the team’s philosophy and approach with such a bold buy.

Probable XI for team RCB:

1. Glenn Maxwell (C)

Glenn could be one of the crucial game-changer for team RCB and not only he would have the responsibility of an experienced player but might also be given the role of captaincy. Having already played in the same franchise and getting retained by the management, Maxwell can be a good fit for the captaincy role since he is leading his BBL team – Melbourne Stars for 4 years now.

2. Dinesh Karthik (WK)

Although the team has raised a high price for youngster Anuj Rawat, Dinesh will be wicket-keeping for the team since the management will be trusting Dinesh’s experience and what he has done with the gloves over the years internationally as well as domestically.

3. Virat Kohli

Virat Kohli was retained for ₹15 crores and is one of the top batsmen, not only for RCB but internationally too. Virat will be playing this year’s IPL with a relief of focusing on his cricket as he quit the responsibility task for the team and with his best friend AB de Villiers not playing in the top order, Virat has to maintain a fresh bond with the newly signed players to make sure the partnership goes on long. With Faf in the team, Virat might go batting in his usual ‘1st-Down’ position.

4. Anuj Rawat

Anuj Rawat is one of the fresh signings of RCB and the management bought the young talent for a whopping amount of ₹3.40 crores, having the base price of ₹20 L. The left-handed young batsman can also wicket-keep and shall be considered to open the innings with Faf du Plessis as he has been consistent with the bat in the domestic cricket with an attitude of aggressive opening batsman who is also good at hitting sixes. The left-handed and right-handed combination can be one of the prior strategies to send Anuj opening with Faf.

5. Faf du Plessis

Chennai Super Kings hero and game-winner, Faf was not retained by his former franchise and RCB took the chance to go long on price for him. Faf was sold to RCB for ₹7 crores. Desperately buying Faf in the IPL, RCB might be thinking for him to lead the game as he is yet another candidate with experience in leading the team. Faf being right-handed had opened for team CSK and will continue to do the same with a lefty-right combination with Anuj Rawat.

6. Shahbaz Ahmed

Left-arm all-rounder Shahbaz Ahmed can be a perfect substitute for former player Washington Sundar and can perform well with both bat and ball. Ahmed can be tried to bat in the middle order as he is capable of clearing the ropes, whereas the left arm bowling option might also give an advantage to the team.

7. Wanindu Hasaranga

Wanindu Hasaranga from Sri Lanka is one of the expensive players of team RCB and RCB was seen breaking their bank to buy the Sri Lankan spinner as they bought Hasaranga for a surprising price of ₹10.75 crores, which became one of the top picks in the Indian Premier League Mega Auction. The amount at which Hasaranga is bought, RCB have given a hint that Hasaranga would be consistently playing in the XI. Hasaranga was seen been successful in taking wickets in the recent T20 series against Australia but unfortunately is under isolation now since he has tested positive for COVID-19. Hasaranga can also manage to bat well in the middle order.

8. Mohammed Siraj

Having been retained by the franchise for ₹7 crores, there is no doubt in Siraj’s capabilities and what he brings for the team. Over the years the young bowler has gained experience in international cricket as well across all the cricketing formats and is one of the best picks by RCB as he has been a crucial bowler when it comes to a game-winning moment

9. Harshal Patel:

Harshal has been bought back by team RCB. Harshal Patel made his IPL debut in 2012, but it wasn’t until last season that he became a huge star due to his exceptional performance. He took 32 wickets for Royal Challengers Bangalore to earn the Purple Cap and join Dwayne Bravo as the best wicket-taker in the cash-rich league in a single season. Harshal joined the RCB team in 2021 after being traded off by the Delhi Capitals, and he quickly impressed everyone with his variety of yorkers, slower balls, and cutters. In November of the last year, his spectacular IPL performance helped him make his India debut against New Zealand in a T20I.

10. Josh Hazlewood

Having been bought at ₹7.75 crores, Hazlewood will be one of the crucial overseas players included in the playing XI and will probably dominate the opposition with his fierce bowling.

11. Karn Sharma

With Chahal being released, RCB understands how important is a spinner in the team and specifically a leggie helps the team to take wickets at crucial stages and Karn Sharma has got that skill to take critical wickets in the game.