BENGALURU: The conditions in the United Arab Emirates will favour spinners in the upcoming IPL. The Royal Challengers Bangalore had majorly pinned their hopes on Yuzvendra Chahal, with no quality back-up to the India leg-spinner.
However, things changed on Monday as the franchise opted for Australia’s Adam Zampa as Kane Richardson’s replacement. The latter pulled out as he is expecting the birth of his first child. The inclusion of Zampa, alongside Chahal and all-rounders Moeen Ali, Washington Sundar among others makes them a better spin unit. But with just four foreigners allowed in the playing XI, getting the right team combination will be a tricky affair.
AB de Villiers and Aaron Finch will be their immediate picks, and there could be a scenario where only one — Chris Morris or Moeen Ali — could feature if Zampa is required to play. However, team director Mike Hesson has already stated that Zampa is a 'cover for Chahal and also gives extra options’.
Ali proved to be an important asset last season, more so with the bat while Bangalore signed Morris for a mega Rs 10 crore in the auction. The latter is expected to be used during the death overs, which has been the franchise's Achilles heel. They also have Dale Steyn in the pacers department. It would be interesting to see what combination skipper Virat Kohli opts for.
“Picking the playing XI is going to be quite a tricky thing for RCB. They will take into account the nature of the pitches too,” former India player Vijay Bharadwaj told this daily on Tuesday.
“Zampa and Chahal are a luxury for Kohli and if I were him, I would play both. Zampa is a real talent to have in the team, especially if you can have Chahal at one end and Zampa from the other. It is not easy to attack Zampa, he has got good control."
There is a strong case for Zampa, who has been impressive in the shorter format for Australia. He has 33 T20I wickets in 30 matches with an economy of 6.12. He also has 19 IPL scalps from 11 matches at a strike rate of 11.63.
Even if the former Rising Pune Supergiant spinner is not considered initially, the wear and tear on the overused pitches could force them to play Zampa as the tournament progresses.
“Zampa is a perfect leg-spinner in the shorter format which RCB might have been looking for. I feel pitches are also not going to be conducive to fast bowling, especially in the UAE. You will need to have slower bowlers in the team,” added Bhardwaj.