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Cricket PlayersEngland star to replace Reece Topley; two-horse race for Impact Player spot: Here's RCB's likely XI vs KKR in IPL 2023
Karthik, Maxwell, Lomror, Shahbaz, Anuj and Bracewell are all solid middle-order options for Kohli-starrer RCB.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) got off to a winning start in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 as they defeated five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) by eight wickets at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. RCB will hope to continue its winning run against a depleted Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) side at the Eden Gardens on April 6.
In IPL 2022 one of the strongest aspects of RCB was its opening partnership, and once again the openers won the game against MI for the franchise from Bengaluru. Faf du Plessis (73 off 43) and Virat Kohli (82* off 49 balls) set the stage on fire with a 148-run (off 89 balls) opening stand as they helped RCB chase down a target of 172 with 22 balls to spare after Tilak Varma's sensational counter-attacking innings of 84* off 46 balls had propelled MI to 171/7 after teetering at 55/4 at the half-way stage of their innings.
The Faf du Plessis-led side sneaked into the playoffs last season at the expense of the Delhi Capitals. While they dismantled Lucknow Super Giants, Rajasthan Royals ended RCB’s quest for a maiden IPL title in 2022.
The Bengaluru-based franchise made a few shrewd signings in the IPL 2023 auction and looks like a well-balanced side on paper. Du Plessis was the side’s top run-getter last season with almost 500 runs to his name and Kohli is back to his imperious best as showcased by his performance in the season opener.
Rajat Patidar has now been ruled out for the season with an Achilles injury after missing the first game. No replacement has been named yet. However, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat and Michael Bracewell are all solid middle-order options.
Wanindu Hasaranga is the main overseas spin option and could have a major impact on RCB's season once again. He bagged 26 wickets in last season’s edition, narrowly missing out on the purple cap. He will be available for selection again after April 9 as he is on national duty with Sri Lanka.
RCB have good seam bowling options with Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, and Mohammad Siraj all capable of leading the line. David Willey and Reece Topley are capable of chipping in with important contributions.
Hazlewood and Patel took a combined 39 wickets in the 2022 season, with Siraj chipping in with further 9 scalps. Almost all the bowlers chipped in with wickets in the first game and complemented each other well to restrict MI to a below-par score at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Lead pacer Hazlewood will miss at least the first half of the season while he recovers from an Achilles injury. Hazlewood hopes to play some part in the IPL season but his fitness will be monitored closely by Cricket Australia as they have a hectic upcoming schedule with the World Test Championship final and the Ashes series to follow straight after the IPL.
Reece Topley will also be unavailable for the game against KKR as he recovers from a dislocated shoulder that he suffered while fielding in the first game. He could yet play a part in the season later down the line, but David Willey is expected to replace him in the starting line-up at least for the next few games.
Kiwi all-rounder Michael Bracewell, who was signed as a replacement for the injured Will Jacks did not get to showcase his ability with the bat, but did make an important contribution with the ball by removing Surya Kumar Yadav from the crease in the first game. He could turn out to be one of the signings of the season if he gets adequate playing time.
RCB predicted XI vs KKR
Openers: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli.
Middle Order: Dinesh Karthik (wk), Glenn Maxwell.
All-Rounders: Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed.
Bowlers: David Willey, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Akash Deep.
Impact Player
RCB named David Willey, Sonu Yadav, Mahipal Lomror, Suyash Prabhudessai and Anuj Rawat as Impact player options for the season opener. Siddharth Kaul might replace Willey in the list as he is expected to replace the injured Topley in the starting XI.
