IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore hasn’t been that lucky in the Indian Premier League‘s history. They have yet to win the IPL, but they have appeared in three finals in 2009, 2011 and 2016. However, RCB is the only team that has qualified for the playoffs in the last three IPL seasons. In fact, they have ended the last two seasons in third place.
But the franchise and its fans would like to see their team end this trophy drought and win the next edition. For that, RCB has settled on the best possible players for their team, including some new buys at the recently concluded auction.
Best Bowlers for Royal Challengers Bangalore in IPL 2023
Apart from a strong batting lineup, RCB has also got some match-winners in their bowling department. Here, we will talk about the best bowling options for RCB for the IPL 2023.
5. Reece Topley
Tall English pacer Reece Topley is the new addition to the RCB set-up, which will make the bowling strength of the team stronger. Topley is a consistent performer for England in the white-ball format, which has earned him an IPL contract. RCB acquired him at INR 1.9 crore. The left-armer took 6/24 against India in July, when India toured England. He can swing the ball with a good pace and knows how to get extra bounce on any pitch with his height.
4. Mohammed Siraj
Leading Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj is a vital member of the RCB bowling department. He is uncanny and has the ability to trouble any batter. In recent months, he has emerged as India’s all-round bowler across formats. Siraj has been part of the RCB team since the 2017 season and has played 59 games for them. He has 49 wickets to his name with a best of 3/8. The franchise retained him over Yuzi Chahal in 2022, which shows the trust they have in him.
3. Josh Hazlewood
Josh Hazlewood is among the top pacers who are equally good in all three formats of modern-day cricket. And that’s how he has performed in the Indian Premier League as well. Hazlewood was signed by the RCB in 2022, and he did an excellent job for them. The pacer ended up picking 20 wickets in the 2022 season and was the second-highest wicket-taker for them. RCB will look the same performance from him in the coming season as well, because he has vast experience of all three formats.
2. Harshal Patel
Harshal Patel has been part of the RCB setup for eight seasons. He established himself in 2021 when he ended up picking 32 wickets and won the “purple cap” of the season. As a result, he also earned his first call for the Indian team as well. His slower balls and change-ups have been very difficult to pick for the batters. And with the international exposure, he has become the leader of the pack for RCB. Harshal has taken 85 IPL wickets in 66 games for RCB.3
1. Wanindu Hasaranga
Leg-spinners are in high demand in the shorter format because they give the wicket-taking option to the captain. That’s what Wanindu Hasaranga do with the RCB. The Sri Lankan leg-spinner made his IPL debut in 2021 for RCB but played only two games in the first season. But the 2022 season was the career-changing season for him. He ended up as the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament with 26 wickets in 16 games at 7.54. Thus, RCB would like him to replicate his performance in the coming season so that they can win their maiden IPL title.
RCB Squad for IPL 2023
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Will Jacks, Suyash Prabhudessai, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav.