IPL 2019: 5 players who can open the innings for RCB

The Indian T20 carnival is back with its 12th edition. And once again, it is an opportunity for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to fill their empty trophy cabinet. Over the years, they have had the players but somehow haven’t gone the distance. In fact, they’ve been one of the most underwhelming teams in the history of the IPL.

Batting has been RCB’s strength over the years. However, in the last few years, they have heavily relied on Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers to do the bulk of the scoring. There’s always been the question – who apart from the two will put their hand up? Their batting has tended to fall apart when the two big guns don’t fire. Last season was no different either. The middle-order failed big time as only one player apart from the two star players (Kohli and de Villiers) could muster more than 250 runs in the season.

Hence, Kohli and de Villiers are most likely to bat at 3 and 4 respectively in this season. Thus, the question now is, who will open the batting?

Here, we look at the five players who can open for the RCB this season:

1. Parthiv Patel

The best spot for Parthiv Patel in any line-up would be at the top of the order. The 34-year-old wicket-keeper has the ability to score quickly in the powerplay. He can use the field restrictions to his advantage and help the team get off to a good start.

Due to Quinton de Kock’s presence, Parthiv played just six games last season. But he did decently in the opportunities he got. The left-hander amassed 153 runs in six innings at an average of 30.60. Moreover, he had a good strike-rate of 140.36. However, the Gujarat wicket-keeper isn’t going into the IPL in the best of forms.

He hasn’t had a great domestic season. He hasn’t got runs in any format and in fact, he failed to score a single half-century for Gujarat throughout the season across formats. His only innings of substance was the 94-run knock which came for India ‘A’ in New Zealand in a first-class game.

He’s had a terrible time in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy as well. The Gujarat skipper could muster just 52 runs in four innings. However, Parthiv is most likely going to be RCB’s designated wicket-keeper. Hence, the best position for him to bat is at the top.

2. Marcus Stoinis

Marcus Stoinis was bought during the trade window after the end of last season. His inclusion lends a really good balance to the side. However, the big-hitting Aussie all-rounder will miss the initial part of the IPL as he is a part of the Australian ODI side which is playing the ODI series against Pakistan in the UAE.

Stoinis has made the move to open the batting very recently. He opened in the Big Bash this year and was a massive success. In fact, his performance at the top of the order was one of the big reasons for Melbourne Star’s run to the final. He scored 533 runs at an average of 53.30 in this BBL season. He also opened for Australia in their recent T20I series in India. Hence, Stoinis has found a way to be successful in the shortest format.

The 29-year-old Western Australian has the power game where he can tonk the ball from the word go. He can also play the subdued role and be the anchor. So, once he comes in, can be a very good option at the top. It will allow the likes of Kohli, De Villiers and the other power hitters to play their game in the middle and towards the end.

3. Washington Sundar

You might be wondering why Washington Sundar for an opening slot?. However, he is not new to the opening slot. The Tamil Nadu off-spinner has opened the batting in various domestic tournaments in the last few years. He batted at the top in the Tamil Nadu Premier League in 2017 and emerged as the highest run-getter.

He opened in this year’s Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy and fared decently. Batting alongside Murali Vijay who emerged as Tamil Nadu’s highest run-getter, Sundar amassed 141 runs at an average of 28.20. In fact, he was only second to his team-mate in the list.

In the IPL last year, the youngster didn’t really get a lot of opportunities with the bat. He largely batted lower down the order and just had to come in and slog. He managed to have a strike-rate of 171.05 last year which was the best among the RCB batsmen. Thus, he could be given the license to go out and smash it around from ball one. Who knows? It could just be the spark RCB needs!

4. Devdutt Padikkal

The 18-year-old batsman is the only local Karnataka player in the RCB squad. He hasn’t played competitive cricket in 2019 but was a part of Karnataka’s Ranji side this season. In fact, Devdutt Padikkal got three scores of 70s and was impressive. He was also a part of India’s Under-19 team which played the Asia Cup back in September-October last year the talented cricketer slammed a century as well.

Karnataka Premier League was the last T20 tournament Padikkal played. He had a decent season where scoring 124 runs in four outings. Hence, this young prodigy is worth a try at the top of the order. RCB could well invest in him and try him upfront if their initial plans fail to fire.

5. Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer is one player who has caught everyone’s attention in the last 12 to 18 months. He has become one of the mainstays for the Windies across all three formats. The 22-year-old left-hander has attracted everyone with his flamboyant stroke-play.

He has blown hot and cold in the last few games but has the ability to turn games single-handedly. He couldn’t really get going in the series against England as he managed to score just 32 runs in three innings in the T20I series against England. However, Hetmyer did score a fabulous ton in the ODI series which helped Windies win the game.

Hetmyer is a surprise pick to open the batting but the move could really be a game-changer. He could utilize the field restrictions and give RCB some flying starts. He has the ability to take the game away from the opposition in the space of a few deliveries. Hence, the hard-hitting Windies batsman, playing his debut season, could well be the X-factor.

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