Starting eleven

[skthewimp]

Ok here's my take for the starting eleven of Bangalore Royal Challengers (eeks - what a seedy name)

Gaurav Dhiman
K B Pawan
Jacques Kallis
Shiv Chanderpaul
Rahul Dravid
Mark Boucher
Manish Pandey
Anil Kumble
Zaheer Khan
Nathan Bracken
N C Aiyappa

The bench will have Cameron White,  Wasim Jaffer,  Dale Steyn, K P Appanna and one more batsman (need not be

Comments

[chandrachud04]

Did Pawan play the domestic ODIs last season? Barrington Rowland, though more of a longer version player compared to Uthappa, had a super season and was unlucky to not make it to the Challenger squads.

Isn't Vinay Kumar a bit of a batsman? So if Aiyappa proves erratic, Vinay Kumar could be a safer option. Also, I would like to have Steyn's pace in the first choice 11, ahead of Bracken I guess.

I would consider playing White ahead of Kumble coz Kumble's shoulders are no longer strong enough for firing in his yorkers.. and then there's White's fielding (presumably better) and big-hitting, which we sorely lack (not counting Manish Pandey - first time I'm hearing about him!).

Hmmnn.. and Rahul at 5 is good for 50 over games.. in 20/20 he should get earlier I reckon. So push Shiv to open, bring Dhiman down below Boucher!

Then, I have no fundaes on possible other options from catchment areas / U22.

[1pi00te005]

I think
a) Dravid will bat higher
b) Boucher will be benched to bring in Dale Steyn (since only 4 foreign players can be there)
c) To replace Boucher they'll have a local keeper or a local batman with Dravid keeping

Actually all the teams are stupid for getting so many foreign players when only 4 can play at a time. What's the use of paying so much to keep them on the bench?

Santhosh Tiwari.

[anonymous]

Cricinfo has been rather slow on this. But the wiki article on the BRC seems to quote the Hindustan Times saying he has already been taken by the team. And he is U-22.

Don't know where he will fit in. But I do think that you need to have some hard hitters to accompany Boucher for the last few overs. And for that, I think the BRC needs someone like Cameron White in the playing X1. Of course, it all depends on how well Dravid can adapt to the T20 format.