Royal Challengers could target Chahal, Rahul

Known for possessing some of the most explosive batsmen in world cricket, Royal Challengers Bangalore, over the last few years, have realised that to win the IPL crown they need to have a potent bowling unit as well. The fact that they splurged Rs 12 crore on English T20 specialist Tymal Mills last year was an indication of their intentions.

Although they have to rebuild the squad pretty much from the scratch just like all the seven other teams, they will have an eye on bowlers and may be willing to break the bank on a couple of them. The first bowler who they would be desperate to rope in is Yuzvendra Chahal.

Ever since his arrival in 2014, the Haryana leg-spinner has been a revelation for the Challengers, with his success in the IPL also catapulting him to national fame. One of the consistent performers who loves bowling at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Chahal picked up 23 wickets in 2015, 21 in 2016 and 14 last year. An attacking spinner who can bowl in power-play as well in the death, Chahal looks set to command a big price at the auction. However, RCB have the option of using the Right To Match on him and most likely could retain his services.

The second bowler who comes to mind is Mitchell Starc, the Aussie pace spearhead. The left-armer played for RCB for two years - 2014 and 2015 - and was a success during his stay, taking a total of 34 wickets in 27 games. Possessing raw pace, a brilliant yorker and the famed Aussie aggression, Starc is one asset RCB would love to have.

Another interesting RCB target could be Samuel Badree. The West Indian leg-spinner may not be as attack-minded as Chahal, but he's got an enviable economy rate of 5.92 in 184 T20s. In IPLs his economy rate is 7.42 but he still can perform a key role in the bowling unit.  

RCB would also be focusing on a strong batting line-up. With Virat Kohli already in their squad, in case RCB decide to keep one of their two RTM cards on Chahal or Badree, then it would be interesting to see who they would use the other one first. The first batsman that springs to mind is KL Rahul. While the talented Karnataka batsman has shockingly gone out of focus from the country's limited overs scene, there's no doubt the class he has. A natural opener, Rahul can also bat in the middle-order and keep wickets as well - an added bonus.  

Attacking middle-order batsman Kedar Jadhav is another option. Short in stature but packing a hefty punch in his shots, Jadhav has shown the damage he can cause, playing some match-winning knocks for his home state Maharashtra and India. A part-time off-spinner, Jadhav can pick up useful wickets too. Very importantly, Kohli has a lot of faith in him.

RCB also need to acquire a couple of talented all-rounders and they will be hoping to make wise choices over the weekend.