McCullum might open the batting with Virat Kohli

Brendon McCullum surprised everyone when announced his international retirement in February 2016 just a month before the 2016 World T20. However, he continued to play around the world in different T20 leagues. And his flamboyant nature hasn’t faded away. Yes, his hitting prowess has come down a little, but he is still of the best T20 openers going around.

McCullum has played for Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Kochi Tuskers Kerala (KTK), Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Gujarat Lions (GL). But this year he was picked by Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the auction for Rs 3.6 crores.

Brendon McCullum is not guaranteed a spot in this Bangalore XI

A superficial glance at the list would indicate that Brendon McCullum is a favourite to open since he is by far the most experienced and arguably the most explosive batsman on that list.However, his recent form of form in the Pakistan Super League was far from impressive, as he failed to get a fifty in his last ten matches. Moreover, McCullum's IPL record last year was not as good as some other players on the list.

The other overseas player who is in contention to open the batting is South African keeper-batsman Quinton de Kock. The left-hander plays a very aggressive brand of cricket, shown by his Test strike rate of 70.De Kock is coming into the tournament with a solid run of form behind him, as he hit two fifties in the Test series against Australia and had a good showing with the gloves.

It could be the case, though, that De Kock is fatigued after a very busy start to the year and may miss RCB's first game. Also, unlike the other players who could open for RCB, De Kock is known to be able to play well in the middle and lower order.

McCullum is one of the most experienced T20 players in the world

A name synonymous with T20 cricket, Brendon McCullum has played as many as 329 games around the world in the T20 format. Bangalore would vividly remember the first game of the IPL where McCullum scored 158* for KKR against them. Using McCullum at the top of the order would give Kohli a breather as well as a chance to bat at his original position. In his 112 IPL appearances for KKR (2008-10 and 2012-13), KTK (2011), CSK (2014-15) and GL (2017), he has scored 2956 runs at a strike rate of 131.31 and an average of 27.88. Any team would be happy to have McCullum’s services.