New Delhi: AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli undeniably are two of the most sensational batsmen, not only in the Indian Premier League (IPL), but across different formats around the globe. The deadly pair has steadied the ship for Royal Challengers Bangalore on numerous occasions in the past with several memorable knocks. Unfortunately, the star-studded franchise would be without the services of these two maverick batsmen in their opening match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
While RCB do have Chris Gayle at the top, the West Indian's inconsistency has hurt the franchise in the last few years. It was because of his inconsistent performances that the think tank decided to experiment with Lokesh Rahul at the top – a move which changed the shape of the right-hander's career in shorter formats.
Once regarded as a Test specialist, Rahul grabbed the opportunity with both hands and shed the tag of a traditional batsman with some superb knocks. Such was his form that even when Gayle was fit, it became impossible for Bangalore to leave Rahul out. He was included in India's limited-overs squad as a result of his good show in IPL last season and today, he has cemented his spot in all formats of the game.
Unfortunately, RCB will be without Rahul's services as well this year, as he has been ruled out of the tenth edition with an injury.
While Rahul's injury has come as a blow for the team, it is nowhere close to de Villiers, Kohli's absence from the squad. Kohli set the tournament on fire with a record four centuries and seven half-centuries last season where he accumulated close to a thousand runs. But after hurting his shoulder during the recently concluded Test series against Australia, Kohli is all set to sit out of the opening clash against Hyderabad.
Similarly, de Villiers has also been rested for the opening match on a precautionary note after he sustained a back injury in a domestic tournament back home.
In the absence of these two stalwarts, the onus will be on Shane Watson, the interim skipper, to lead from the front and prove why is he still regarded as one of the finest all-rounders to have played the game. The Aussie has a brilliant track record in the IPL, and there is no reason why he cannot put up big totals for his team.
Barring Gayle and Watson, there aren't many more batsmen in the squad who can produce fireworks. Mandeep Singh and Kedar Jadhav are two Indian names who can cause some damage.
RCB would want de Villiers and Kohli to regain fitness at the earliest to strengthen their beleaguered squad.
