RCB team's MASSIVE success factor revealed; Kohli and co. set to shed underdog tags

While the Royal Challengers Bangalore may not have a championship trophy in their cabinet, they are slowly finding their feet once again in the cash-rich league, and their improved performance in the latest season is a testament to the same. The Virat Kohli-led side impressed in the previous season of the competition as well, and they appeared to be one of the favourites to clinch the title this year before the edition was suspended. They have a well-balanced side this year, and their scouts have identified a number of potential superstars who can make a significant impact for them. 

RCB's head of scouting reveals impact of their recruitment structure in IPL 

The Indian Premier League gives a significant opportunity to young Indian talent to rub shoulders alongside stalwarts of the game. With a maximum of four overseas players allowed in the playing eleven, it becomes important for the franchises to identify players from the domestic circuit to make a formidable team combination. While speaking to Wisden India, RCB's head of scouting and fielding Malolan Rangarajan gave fans an insight into how the team scouts players from the Indian circuit to enhance their overall team combination.

Rangarajan mentioned how they keep a keen look at players' performance in the domestic T20 tournaments in the country. Moreover, he also mentioned how they even followed the selection matches for state teams in an attempt to discover potential superstars. Moreover, the 'Royal Challenge Playbold' program, which is an all-India trial for bowlers, helps them identify undiscovered bowling talent.

RCB team's scouting surely has paid dividends for them lately. While they do have the likes of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell and Yuzvendra Chahal in their line-up, Harshal Patel's contribution in the 14th edition of the cash-rich league cannot be discounted. The medium-pacer has picked up 17 wickets from just 7 matches for the RCB team this season, and he also is currently the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2021. 

Apart from Harshal Patel, the franchise has given adequate opportunities to a number of uncapped players in their playing eleven this year. Shahbaz Ahmed and Rajat Patidar were a regular feature in the team's playing eleven this year and the team management showed immense faith in them by backing them consistently. They have also signed players like KS Bharat, Mohammad Azharuddeen and Pavan Deshpande who could also play a significant role for them in the future.

IPL latest news: What does the IPL suspension mean?

The 'IPL suspension' news took the internet by storm as fans were left wondering "Is IPL 2021 cancelled?" To answer the query, no, the tournament has not been called off but has been suspended for the time being. While speaking to Republic World, a top BCCI official said that the IPL 2021 has been suspended and not cancelled. He added that the IPL 2021 resumption date will be decided next week. The official also assured that all the IPL 2021 matches will be rescheduled once they get clearance for shifting the entire tournament to Mumbai.

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