Ravi Ashwin picks the best Playing XI for RCB for upcoming IPL 2023
The biggest cricket carnival in India is all set to host its next edition in a week's time. The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League is all set to begin on March 31. It will be the defending champion Gujarat Titans taking on the Chennai Super Kings in the season opener.
The first game will take place at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. Thus, the predictions have started, and a number of former cricketers and cricket pundits have already predicted the best teams and best players for the upcoming season.
Meanwhile, some former cricketers have also picked the best XI for each team that might play most of the games in the coming season. Such a prediction is made by veteran Indian off-spinner and Rajasthan Royals member Ravichandran Ashwin. In a video uploaded to his YouTube channel, he predicted the best playing XI for Royal Challengers Bangalore for the coming season.
He has placed a lot of weight on Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli opening the innings for the team. This pair opened in the last few games of 2022. Then, he has picked Rajat Patidar at No. 3, who batted brilliantly in the second half of 2022, including an excellent century against LSG in the eliminator.
For the middle order, Ashwin has picked Glenn Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed at Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Then, he has kept Dinesh Karthik as a finisher at No. 6. For No. 7, he has named Mahipal Lomror. Ashwin has named Wanindu Hasaranga as a specialist all-rounder at No. 8.
He has completed the list with three pacers in Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, and Akash Deep. However, the biggest surprise is the exclusion of Harshal Patel from the team, despite his excellent contributions in the last two seasons. RCB will open their campaign with a game against the Mumbai Indians on April 2 (Sunday) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
Ashwin's Playing XI for RCB: Faf du Plessis (c) Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell (subject to fitness), Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk) Mahipal Lomror or Anuj Rawat, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep