IPL 2020: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) New Squad Rating

With the highest rating in the middle-order category, let’s look at the overall squad rating of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 2020.

Predominantly, a batting centric team, the Royal Challengers Bangalore of 2020 look a very different outfit altogether. They retained a core of 11 Indian players before IPL 2020 Auction, which included 8 bowlers+all-rounders; quite unlike RCB of the past.

In IPL 2020 Auction too, their strategy was mostly bowling centric as they bought some key bowling options in the form of Chris Morris, Dale Steyn, Kane Richardson, and Isuru Udana, apart from the key batting options in Aaron Finch and Joshua Philippe.

So, have Royal Challengers Bangalore got a squad that can excel in all the conditions and all pitches? Let’s look at our unique article where we find the overall squad rating of Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 2020 considering all the categories.

Please note:

• The squad rating for IPL 2020 is calculated for five primary categories viz., Openers, Middle-order, All-rounders, Spinners, and Pacers.
• The player roles are bracketed as Main players, Good backups, and other backups, and all are being rated on a scale of 10. However, for overall rating calculation, the weighted average is taken with higher weightage given to the main players. 
• The players are relatively rated for their primary category basis their last two IPL’s performance, and/or their current International/Domestic form.
• While a player can play an additional role as ”Backup’, all categories should have a unique set of main players. 

Before we begin, let’s look at the benchmark players in our 5 primary categories against which every other player is relatively rated. 

• Opener: David Warner
• Middle-order: Virat Kohli
• All-rounder(s): Hardik Pandya and Andre Russell
• Spinner: Rashid Khan
• Pacer: Jasprit Bumrah

Alright then, without wasting any time, let’s look at the squad rating for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for IPL 2020.

Openers – 7.9

Two Main Openers: Aaron Finch and Parthiv Patel

Good Backup Opener: Joshua Philippe 

Other Backup Opener(s): Devdutt Padikkal and Virat Kohli 

RCB struggled with a good opening combination in IPL 2019, and it showed with their performance. Apart from Parthiv Patel, who impressed with good powerplay batting, RCB tried many other openers, but none of them was able to have a good impact. 

RCB rectified this issue by first retaining the talent of Devdutt Padikkal, and then buying two explosive openers in the form of Aaron Finch and Joshua Philippe. Of the three, Aaron Finch seems most-likely to open alongside Parthiv Patel.

Joshua Philippe is another exiting and aggressive wicket-keeper opener that RCB can try if Parthiv struggles to find form. They can also play Devdutt Padikkal as the second opener, and move Aaron Finch in the middle-order.

Nevertheless, in metrics, Aaron Finch leads the squad with a rating of 8.5, followed Parthiv Patel at a rating of 8. In backups, Joshua Philippe at 7.75 and Devdutt Padikkal at 6.75.

Overall, RCB get a cumulative average rating of 7.9 in the openers category.

Middle-order – 8.58

Three Main Middle-order Players: Virat Kohli, Ab de Villiers, and Moeen Ali

Two Good Backup Middle-order Players: Chris Morris and Isuru Udana

Other Backup Middle-order Player(s): Gurkeerat Singh, Aaron Finch, and Shivam Dube

This is one category which sees RCB’s two extreme ends as it is their strength as well as their weakness. On one hand, they have two best middle-order players in the form of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, but on the other hand, RCB have absolutely zero primary middle-order options.

Barring Kohli and Abd, who have been RCB’s epicentre for a long time now, RCB would have to heavily rely on Moeen Ali, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, and maybe Gurkeerat in a few games as the middle-order options. They can also try Aaron Finch in the middle, which gives them an option to play the explosive, Devdutt Padikkal at the top.

In metrics, Virat Kohli is the benchmark with a rating of a perfect 10, followed by Ab de Villiers at 9.5, and Moeen Ali at 8.5. In backups, Chris Morris gets 7.75, Isuru Udana gets 7.25, and Aaron Finch gets 8.25.

Overall, RCB get a cumulative average rating of 8.58 in the middle-order category.

All-rounders – 8.24

Two Main All-rounders: Chris Morris and Moeen Ali

Good Backup All-rounder: Washington Sundar

Other Backup All-rounder(s): Shivam Dube, Isuru Udana, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Singh, and Pavan Deshpande 

RCB have some really good all-rounders in their squad for IPL 2020. With the primary responsibility lying on Chris Morris and Moeen Ali, who shall act as the bowling and batting all-rounders respectively, RCB have an option playing Sundar, Dube, and Gurkeerat too in the playing 11.

Morris shall provide got good lower-order attacking option along with his useful 4 overs- predominantly at the death. Moeen is most likely to play in the middle-order, and his 2-3 overs would be crucial. Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube are also likely to play a similar role like Morris and Moeen respectively.

All eyes would be in Shivam Dube, who is coming with a good senior team experience, and would have more responsibility. Coming to backups, RCB have 4 good and unique options in the form of Isuru Udana, Pawan Negi, Gurkeerat Singh, and Pavan Deshpande.

So, in metrics, Chris Morris gets a rating of 8.58, Moeen Ali gets a rating of 8.5, Washington Sundar gets 7.88, Isuru Udana gets 7.5, Shivam Dube gets 7.25, Gurkeerat Singh gets 7, and Pavan Deshpande gets 6.5. 

Overall, RCB get a cumulative average rating of 8.24 in the all-rounders category.

Spinners – 7.83

Two Main Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar 

Good Backup Spinner: Moeen Ali

Other Backup Spinner(s): Pawan Negi and Gurkeerat Singh

The presence of two primary spinners and Team India’s pair, Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar does make RCB’s starting 11 look good, but it is the lack of good backups that make it look slightly feeble. 

Yuzvendra Chahal and Washington Sundar have been a regular member of the Indian Team for quite some time now. While Chahal is definitely among the bests, Sundar is yet to make a name for himself– in IPL and at International level. 

In backups, Moeen Ali, who is expected to start in the playing 11 can give those 2-3 crucial overs against lefties, and on spinning tracks. Similarly, Pawan Negi and Gurkeerat Singh make up for decent spinning options.

So, in metrics, RCB’s overall spin department is slightly below-par. Yuzvendra Chahal leads the pack with a rating of 9, followed by Sundar at 8, Moeen Ali at 7.5, Pawan Negi at 7, and Gurkeerat Singh at 6.5.

Overall, RCB get a cumulative average rating of 7.83 in the spinners category.

Pacers – 8.28

Two Main Pacers: Dale Steyn and Chris Morris 

Good Backup Pacer: Navdeep Saini

Other Backup Pacer(s): Umesh Yadav, Kane Richardson, Mohammad Siraj, Isuru Udana, and Shivam Dube. 

The bowling line-up which predominantly relied on the Indian fire-power in 2019 would see Chris Morris and Dale Steyn taking the centre stage along with few more exciting additions in the form of Kane Richardson and Isuru Udana.

Having spent over a million on Chris Morris, he is a sure shot starter in the playing 11, and having him in the squad boosts the death overs along with Navdeep Saini, who has recently risen to stardom with some superb bowling for the senior team. 

Dale Steyn’s addition is always very exciting from the team’s perspective, although he may not play all the games given overseas restrictions. Umesh Yadav would fill the void in his absence, and he can be a brilliant powerplay bowler for the team.

The backups include Kane Richardson, Isuru Udana, Mohammad Siraj, and Shivam Dube. Of the 4, Dube, the all-rounder is a sure shot starter, and his 1-2 overs would be very valuable on pacy wickets. Kane, Isuru, and Siraj are good backup options to have for any team. 

In metrics, Dale Steyn and Chris Morris lead the pack with a rating of 8.5 each. Navdeep Saini is an exciting prospect, but he is yet to make an impact in IPL, hence gets a rating of 8.25. Umesh Yadav gets 8, Kane Richardson gets 7.75, Mohammad Siraj gets 7.5, Isuru Udana gets 7.25, and Shivam Dube gets 6.75. 

Overall, RCB get a cumulative average rating of 8.28 in the pacers category.

Conclusion: 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) get an overall squad rating of 8.2 for IPL 2020. The RCB squad of 2020 is slightly more potent vis-a-vis their 2019 squad with stronger bowling. They have all the capability to qualify for the playoffs, but anything further than that would need strong leadership motivation from Virat Kohli. 

Thanks for reading! What is your view on Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) squad rating for IPL 2020? Please let us know in the comments section.

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