IPL 2024: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) New Playing 11
Faf du Plessis led RCB chasing their first title as we look at the confirmed playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2024.
No matter how much we try to ignore the Royal Challengers Bangalore, the team’s fan following is so good that every year, they are among the most focused teams in the tournament. The journey for the RCB team and their fans hasn’t been the most favorable one, but in their 17th attempt to get their hands on the trophy for the first time, can they do it finally?
Well, the Faf du Plessis-led team will once again be backing on their batting as they had been doing for the umpteenth time. Ever since Virat Kohli took the reigns of RCB back in 2012, the team has always been a dominant batting force. Fast forward to 2024, and the same story continues with RCB once again being a batting force with the likes of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, and others.
But how is the bowling for RCB for the 2024 season? With a set batting lineup, do they have a great bowling lineup to cover their bases? RCB released a lot of quality bowlers ahead of the 2024 IPL Auction. While they did get backups in the side, are they good enough? Well, let’s look at the official squad for the Royal Challengers Bangalore, and the confirmed playing 11 for RCB for IPL 2024.
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IPL 2024 Official Squad Players List for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Batters: Faf du Plessis (c&o), Rajat Patidar, Saurav Chauhan, Suyash Prabhudessai, Virat Kohli & Will Jacks (o)
WKs: Anuj Rawat & Dinesh Karthik
All-rounders: Cameron Green (o), Glenn Maxwell (o), Mahipal Lomror, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Swapnil Singh & Tom Curran (o)
Bowlers: Akash Deep, Alzarri Joseph (o), Himanshu Sharma, Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson (o), Mohammed Siraj, Rajan Kumar, Reece Topley (o), Vyshak Vijaykumar & Yash Dayal
IPL 2024 Confirmed Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Batters – Faf du Plessis (c) & Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar & Dinesh Karthik (wk)
Even before the start of the tournament, RCB have made it clear that Virat Kohli will be opening the innings in 2024 as well. Both Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli have had a successful IPL 2023 as openers, and RCB would like to continue the same in 2024 as well. So, even as Rajat Patidar returns, he will mostly play at his regular middle-order position, and Kohli and du Plessis will open.
All-rounders – Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell & Mahipal Lomror
Coming to the middle-order, RCB will see a new member in the top 5 with Cameron Green joining Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar. Ahead of the IPL 2024 Auction, Cameron Green was traded in RCB from Mumbai Indians in the biggest trade in IPL history. With Cameron Green in the side, RCB are getting two players in one with a potential blockbuster batter.
In terms of finishers, RCB will see the likes of Dinesh Karthik alongside Mahipal Lomror. Lomror played decently for RCB last year, and may get an upper hand above other players in contention. However, Dinesh Karthik had a horror of a tournament last year, and it would be interesting to see how he copes this year. RCB also have Anuj Rawat as the wicket-keeping option, but he may not get an opportunity right away.
Bowlers – Lockie Ferguson, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj & Yash Dayal
Finally, talking about the bowlers, RCB have a lot of options, but except for Mohammed Siraj, none guarantees a confirmed slot in the strongest playing 11. This itself shows that RCB are once again a batting-dominant force with the least focus on bowling. RCB did purchase Alzarri Joseph for over 11 Cr, but honestly, this is way in the over-bought category, and RCB will soon realize this.
So, which three bowlers make the cut for RCB alongside Mohammed Siraj? Well, there will definitely be one foreign pacer, and between Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph, and Reece Topley, Lockie Ferguson is the most potent option. If RCB are smart enough to realize this, Ferguson should start above Alzarri and Topley as their best Overseas pacer.
Similar to Overseas pacers, RCB also have a lot of options for the Indian pacers. With two more slots open, ideally, RCB should fill that with one wrist spinner, and Karn Sharma seems the best bet for RCB. For the final two pacers slot, RCB have four options in the form of Akash Deep, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Yash Dayal, and Rajan Kumar. To select two from these four, Yash Dayal and Vyshak Vijaykumar should be the most potent option.
IPL 2024 Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Batting First
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (i), Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Lockie Ferguson, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj & Yash Dayal.
IPL 2024 Playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) – Bowling First
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Lockie Ferguson, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal & Vyshak Vijaykumar (i).
So, that’s about the playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 2024. For the impact player, RCB will get one pacer for Rajat Patidar, who could be rested while RCB field. Overall, RCB have a superb top 5 in their batting with non-performing finishing options. Their bowling is once again their weakness, and RCB shall need each and every bowler to play above their weights in IPL 2024.
Thanks for reading! What’s your playing 11 for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 2024? Please email your thoughts to business@cricalytics.com
ALSO READ: IPL 2024: Best Spinners Ranking and Rating for All 10 Teams
Adesh Kothari is the founder of AK4Tsay1 Cricalytics with over 20 years of experience following Cricket.
Cricket to him is like what Football is to Lionel Messi, Singing is to Lata Mangeshkar, Dancing is to Michael Jackson, and Acting is to Clint Eastwood.
Besides his effervescent love for Cricket, Adesh is an MBA by qualification.
