Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has a great team for the IPL 2023 season. In each of the last three IPL seasons, RCB qualified for the playoffs but failed to advance to the championship game.
The management of the RCB team made some smart purchases at the recently concluded mini auction with the intention of winning their first IPL trophy in 2023. For the 2023 season, the majority of the names on the Bangalore-based franchise’s IPL 2022 squad remained unchanged.
At the mini-auction, they only signed a few backup options like Will Jacks and Reece Topley. In IPL 2023, the Royal Challengers Bangalore playing XI will be very similar to their team from 2022.
The RCB team’s opening pair will be the focus of all attention. Last season, they tried a variety of combinations, with Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis opening the batting in the final few games. We will examine the three possible opening combinations for RCB in IPL 2023 in this list.
#1 Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis
As previously stated, Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis opened the batting for Royal Challengers Bangalore in their final IPL 2022 matches. The two put in a respectable effort for the RCB team in their first season together.
In the past, Kohli has won matches for Royal Challengers Bangalore, and du Plessis has had successful opening innings performances in the IPL 2022.
In the IPL 2023, it should not come as a surprise if RCB keeps Kohli and du Plessis as their two openers. Both players will hold the key to RCB’s success in the IPL in 2023 because they have a lot of experience playing in the league.
#2 Faf du Plessis and Anuj Rawat
The young player Anuj Rawat has been retained by Royal Challengers Bangalore for 3.4 crore rupees. It’s possible that the team’s management wants the uncapped wicket-keeper batter to win matches next season because the Bangalore-based franchise decided to pay such a high sum to him.
In the first IPL 2022 matches, Rawat and Faf du Plessis served as the opening duo. At a strike rate of 109.32, he scored 129 runs in eight innings. Despite the poor numbers, Rawat’s 66-run innings against Mumbai Indians showed his talent.
It will be interesting to see if the RCB team management uses du Plessis and Anuj Rawat as the opening pair once more.
#3 Faf du Plessis and Finn Allen
Another youthful wicket-manager hitter present in the RCB crew is Finn Allen. Despite spending two seasons with Royal Challengers Bangalore, the batter from New Zealand has yet to appear in his first IPL game.
Allen has scored 567 runs for New Zealand in 25 T20Is. With a strike rate of over 160 in T20I cricket, the RCB think tank might use him as Faf du Plessis’ opening batter.