Royal Challengers Bangalore have retained Virat Kohli, Mohammad Siraj and Maxwell, along with new captains Faf du Plessis, Hazlewood and Dinesh Karthik.
The RCB, which advanced to the finals of the IPL series in 2009, 2011 and 2016, has never won a trophy.
Chris Gayle, Yuvraj Singh, Peterson, De Villiers, Dilshan and Watson have all played for Bangalore. But for the Bangalore team that is looking to touch the IPL trophy, the moment has never come till now for the fans to celebrate it.
'RCB' giving a good start
As always, RCB fans, who welcomed the IPL series with the slogan 'Ee Sala Cup Namde', waited with the same slogan this time. The RCB, which lost its first match against Punjab, had a series of wins against Kolkata, Rajasthan and Mumbai.
Stumbling in the second half
Again a defeat (against CSK), the RCB became one of the strongest teams with five wins in the first 7 matches, followed by two wins. After this, the team faced two consecutive defeats. RCB, who were all out for 68 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, were bowled out for 115 in the match against Rajasthan Royals yesterday (26.04.2022).
What will Dinesh Karthik do alone ??
In the IPL series, the batting line-up of the Bangalore team is one of the most sought after. Du Plessis, Virat, Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik are all out but one batsman who can save the team. Even so, the RCB is still struggling to keep up. In the first few matches, Dinesh Karthik, who transformed into a top finisher, led the team to victory. 3 out of 5 wins came through Dinesh Karthik.
But, in the last two matches he was dismissed a bit early, the RCB has stumbled, unable to hit even a large run. Bangalore fans initially said that Dinesh Karthik has filled the place of former RCB player De Villiers. However, fans have been missing De Villiers the most now.
When there was De Villiers ..
When De Villiers was there, Bangalore, who have won seven of their first nine matches in the 2020 IPL, have lost their last five league matches. They advanced to the play - offs only in terms of run rate. Subsequently, in 2021, Bangalore, a good team, lost in the play - offs.
In the 2020 and 2021 IPL series, despite advancing to the play-off round, the RCB failed to turn it into an opportunity to advance to the final. As such, in the current IPL series, despite being featured in the best players squad, the RCB continues to make mistakes. Kohli, who has stepped down as captain, is expected to shake up the bar at batting, pacing.
Virat Kohli's form
Fans have been posting sadly as to whether he regrets playing for the Bangalore team or regrets the Indian squad for the T20 World Cup this year. A bad time will come for any great player. Fans are hopeful that Virat Kohli will fix it for sure.
Similarly, the RCB did not retain Devdutt Padikkal as a starter last year. The IPL did not even bid. Thus, the Bangalore team's opening is also seeing some setbacks. A couple of times the starting pair changed and it didn't give a hand.
Hazlewood is the only Bangalore bowler to continue to show consistent form. Everyone else, like the fruit that ripens in season, occasionally performs well.
What should RCB do?
Fans have been saying that RCB's second-half league matches, which were better in the first half, should not happen like in 2020. It is not a game of cricket for a player to defend his team. At the very least, 6 to 7 players must continue to make their mark. Only then can we lift our collars and say - Ee Sala Cup Namde.
Fans are looking forward to the RCB comeback for sure in the upcoming matches. If not, cricket experts say RCB fans will have to wait and see when the 2023 IPL series begins.
The 8th Behindwoods Gold Medals Awards will be held this year on May 15 and 22 at the Island Grounds in Chennai from 6pm to 11.30pm. Ticket booking for this is currently underway.
Pre-booking link for show tickets. https://behindwoods.com/bgm8
OTHER NEWS SHOTS
