Always popular. Always with massive fan bases around the country. And always with so much pressure of expectation over their shoulders. The RCB are as loved as they are pressured. Perennial powerhouses of the world’s most followed T20 franchise based competition that don’t have a trophy in their cabinet yet in all this time.
And once again, problems have emerged for them as far as this edition of the IPL is concerned, wherein only three games have taken place so far.
So what’s holding the RCB back where three of their games that have happened so far stand?
The team somewhere over-reliant on King Kohli
There’s just now two ways about it. Although, those who side with reasoning and all sort of explanations may come up with a counter view. Though, in truth, there’s no way that one batsman, however talented, accomplished or world class, can drag an entire team on his shoulders.
Mega beautiful batting from Virat Kohli up top the order and then vital runs accumulated in lightening fast fashion down the order by Dinesh Karthik has been the dominant trend of the RCB in the way their campaign has unfolded as on date. But for an entire team to win, it takes more than two to tango. Which has been the central failure of the team.
One wonders, with heaps of world class batting talent at their disposal, just what is happening to the much-adored RCB unit?
To begin with, Faf du Plessis, the mega talent with all the experience and class in the world, hasn’t really gotten going. Barring the spirited 35 that he scored against Chennai, his dismissal in single digit scores in the two games that followed highlight Bengaluru’s plight.
Moreover, Maxwell not putting up with a big show has also hurt the team somewhere. With scores like 28 and 3, the big fireworks haven’t quite happened.
With scores like his unbeaten 83 and 77, the batting department of the team has pretty much been single handedly powered by King Kohli’s virtuosity and might.
Death Bowling seems toothless
Many might label big hitting and depth in batting as the main strength with which many an IPL outfit forces itself onto its opponent; however, in reality, having a balanced bowling attack that can keep cool under the pressure and challenge the authority of batters especially in the death overs matters a lot.
Have the RCB actually figured this peculiar and tricky part of the contest well- one doesn’t quite know?
Besides Mohammad Siraj, whose fast bowling credentials are first class and do not, even for a second cast doubt on his talent, the RCB do not seem to have an outstanding or authoritative seam attack.
It’s certainly not as sorted as that of Kolkata who have the sheer pace and wisdom of Starc and the might of Russell.
Even Siraj, for that matter, went wicketless in his team’s most recent, if also, regrettable, outing against Kolkata Knight Riders. In so doing, the aggressive fast bowler was sought out by the Kolkata willow wielders, who hammered him for 46 runs.
Moreover, Alzarri Joseph being tanked for runs and having been removed from the attack after bowling only two overs outlined the side’s burning issue.
Bowling short too often for his own good and failing to make the KKR batters uncomfortable in any which way left Joseph fuming with frustration. Moreover, there was an absolute dearth in guidance that he received in what ultimately became a one sided game.
While there’s talent available in the form of Yash Dayal, who most recently switched to the Bengaluru outfit, not attacking in tandem combined with the failure to produce tricks when most needed is hurting RCB.
Cameron Green not clicking so far
Is Cameron Green, who was acquired after slicing out a hefty sum of crores and crores of rupees, really returning the goods expected of an all rounder of his caliber?
Young, bold and confident, Green’s power hitting in the middle of the order as seen from Mumbai Indians previously and down the line up as utilised by his national Australian side has far often left bowlers wilting under pressure.
But where it comes to the RCB, then it mhasn’t quite come through as yet. Thus far, the highly-ranked batting all rounder has amassed only 54 runs and that’s three matches to his name. Moreover, he’s gone wicketless. This clearly means, performance in patches and not too sprightly either!
In the games that follow, the lanky right hander has to deliver and hold an inning together to live up to the mega hype he’s rightly generated given his pure talent. Moreover, the evergreen Virat Kohli might not always be able to accelerate and anchor an inning.