Chennai, Apr 7 (IANS): Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) head coach Simon Katich called leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal skilfull and smart and called him a key bowler in the franchise's plans for the 2021 IPL season.

RCB face Mumbai Indians in the opening match on Friday at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai.

"The thing you know about senior players is we know they have got a fight for the contest. We know that with him. He (Yuzvendra Chahal) is always buzzing. He is a very skilful bowler and he is also a very smart bowler," Katich was quoted as saying on the RCB website.

The 30-year-old Chahal finished the 2020 edition of the tournament with 21 wickets from 15 matches, ending as the fifth-highest wicket-taker and the only spinner in the top-5 wicket-takers' list.

"We asked him to be our leading wicket-taker.We got that role for him by balancing the team the way we needed it to. We took a bit of heat off him having to bowl in the powerplay, like he did in the past. He didn't let us down, picking up 21 wickets, he won us a number of games with the ball at critical times," he added.