Royal Challengers Bangalore will open the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 campaign with a season-opener against Mumbai Indians in Chennai on Friday. The team led by Virat Kohli reached the knockout stage last year for the first time since 2016 and this year they would like to improve on it. RCB have captured a strong team of experienced stars like Kohli, AB de Villiers and Yuzvendra Chahal as well as Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj, RCB is also big in the mini auction and has got Glenn Maxwell to join. New Zealand’s Kyle Jamieson for some firepower in the middle order and some depth in the bowling department.
While Kohli is yet to win his first IPL trophy, the opener comes against Mumbai Indians, who have won Rohit Sharma five times.
Virat Kohli
The captain of India and Royal Challengers Bangalore are in some good form in IPL 2021. Kohli ended the five-match T20 International series as the highest run-scorer against England with the highest run-scoring half-century. Kohli also hit two half-centuries in the ODI series and then played a good innings. Kohli is set to bat for RCB this season, a role he played in 2016, the last time he entered the final. He had scored four centuries that season, and RCB would hope to regain a similar form this year.
Last season, he scored 466 runs in 15 matches at an average of 42.36. However, his strike rate was just 121.35, and he would like to score at a brisk pace this season.
AB de Villiers
AB de Villiers has been the most trusted batsman for many years after Virat Kohli’s fellow-crime and RCB captain, and he will once again appear in his class to show what is the best bowling attack in the league. South Africa have a good record against Mumbai Indians, including scoring 133 for 59 in 2015. Last year too, de Villiers scored an unbeaten 55 not out in just 24 balls in the first league meeting between the two teams.
He scored 454 runs in 15 matches at a strike rate of 158.74 last year. He averaged 45.40.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Promoted
The Willy leg-spinner has been RCB’s most prolific bowler since he joined him, and he will be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on the Mumbai Indians at the spin-friendly Chepak Stadium. He was also his best bowler last year, taking 21 wickets at an average of 19.28.
With a lethal batting order against RCB, which includes power-hitters like Kieron Pollard and Hardik Pandya, Kohli would like to see Chahal once again as his bowler and get some wickets.
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