Four overseas players who are certain to start in playing XI for Bangalore

The 15th season of the Indian T20 League is right around the corner with only three weeks left for it to start. The tournament will start on March 26 and will present another opportunity for Bangalore to win its first ITL title. They have been the finalists three times i.e 2009, 2011, and 2016 but are yet to win the title. The team had retained the players such as Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj last November. 

Last month, during the two-day mega auction, they bought back players like Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmad, Finn Allen, and Suyash Prabhudessai. On the other hand, the Men In Red and Black have inducted players such as Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, and David Willey in overseas slots.

In this listicle, we will discuss four overseas players who are certain to start in playing XI.

List of four overseas players 

1. Faf du Plessis

This will be the first time since 2017 that the former South Africa skipper will play for a team other than Chennai. However, at that time, the Men In Yellow were suspended from the team. Plessis made his debut in 2011 and has played exactly 100 games in the cash-rich league. The right-hander has amassed 2935 runs, averaging 34.94 and striking at 131.08 with a high score of 96.

Bangalore acquired his services after battling with Chennai and Delhi in the auction. The 37-year-old is expected to open the innings alongside former skipper Virat Kohli. The Pretoria-born player is still a dominant force to reckon with in the shortest format.

2. Glenn Maxwell

With 513 runs, averaging 42.75 and a strike-rate of 144.10 last year, it is hard to keep him out of the side. One notable change which was visible in his game was the sense of responsibility last year. This year, he scored two hundreds in the Big Bash League for Melbourne Stars. The right-hander can also provide a bowling option if needed. He is expected to bat at number four just like last year.

3. Wanindu Hasaranga

The Sri Lanka all-rounder was bought at a whopping price of 10.75 crores INR. Hasaranga entered the auction at a base price of one crore and attracted bids from Hyderabad, Punjab, and Bangalore. Although he didn't play enough last year, the team has shown faith in him. Hasaranga will make Bangalore bowling more potent.

4. Josh Hazlewood

The Australia pacer has been a revelation in the shortest format since the 20-20 World Cup last year. Being stereotyped as the long format bowler, Hazlewood took 11 wickets in seven games and helped the team lift the trophy for the first time. This year, he will be expected to start in the playing XI for Bangalore.