Royal Challengers Bangalore have been seriously hit by injuries at the start of the IPL 2017 season, with skipper Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers missing their first two games. Kohli, who is recovering from a shoulder injury, is still unavailable, but the South African maestro could play his first match of IPL 2017 when they face Kings XI Punjab on Monday.
Though there is no official confirmation on whether he will play, the RCB have some tough decisions to make if AB De Villiers takes the field against KXIP.
Who will De Villiers replace in the playing XI? The South African player will straightaway walk into the playing XI, and that may have an unfortunate outcome for Billy Stanlake. With the provision of four foreign players only, RCB should field Chris Gayle, Shane Watson and Tymal Mills along with ABD.
However, that is not the most important question going into tonight's game. Everyone wants to know – where will De Villiers bat?
This could be tricky.
There is no doubt that De Villiers can bat in any position, and runs should not be a problem, but they would want to find a position that suits both the player as well as RCB.
Let us explore some options.
Open with Chris Gayle?
Just imagine the sight of ABD and Gayle walking in to bat, and it will right away instill fear among KXIP bowlers. Mandeep Singh and Watson were used as Gayle's partners in the first two matches, so they are still on the lookout for a best available opening pair, and De Villiers could be given that role against Punjab since Gayle is not in the best form either.
If De Villiers opens the innings, Gayle might be under less pressure, which may allow the left-hander more time to see the new ball, and get some sighters before going for the big shots.
Middle order?
De Villiers is primarily a middle-order player, and he has scored heaps of runs for South Africa, coming in at number four or five. De Villiers has all the shots in the book, and he can take the attack to the bowlers in the middle overs, and score quick runs if required. He can also build the innings if RCB lose some early wickets. His ability to adapt in the middle order makes him a formidable batsman in world cricket.
Allow De Villiers to choose his batting position
There is no compulsion for RCB to tell De Villiers, 'You will bat at this position'. They should just allow him to choose his batting position, as everyone knows that he can be as dangerous at number five as at number one.
