16 attempts and 0 titles. This is RCB’s record in IPL. This despite having amongst their ranks arguably one of the best batsmen during his era. To begin with, RCB did not have much hope this year. Rajat Patidar, their standout batsman in 2022 was rendered ineffective through injury. Josh Hazlewood was unavailable for more than half of the games. They have a non-existent middle and lower order. Bowlers with the exception of Siraj were nowhere to be seen. Extremely lengthy tail. So, the problems for RCB were far too many to warrant any sort of confidence. To their credit, they came within a game’s win to quality. This is RCB IPL 2023 review.
Two games that decided their campaign
The loss against CSK and the loss against Lucknow. Have we not seen the script unfold time and time again? More often than not, Royal Challengers Bangalore against Chennai Super Kings ends up in favour of CSK. With the win in the league phase, CSK has won 50% more than RCB. It denotes significant domination on the part of CSK. The only difference was that it was a high-scoring contest this time. The game itself was breathtaking for some astounding shots. Cricket is a game for the batsmen and T20 more so at that, pitches like these will only kill the game sooner than expected. RCB and their nemesis CSK
RCB seems to be having problems everywhere. Lack of support for their main batsmen and a lack of quality bowlers. Every opponent realises that it is just a question of 3 wickets and the entire team will fold. That is exactly what happened last night at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. The partnership between Faf Plessis and Maxwell was incredible. They scored 126 runs in just 61 deliveries. That is more than 2 runs for every delivery. Chasing a tall score, it was very much required. So long as both of them were at the crease,
RCB believed that they can pull off an incredible chase. However, at the back of their minds, they knew that one wicket could spell trouble and their fears turned out true. It just beggars belief how brittle the RCB’s batting order is. You just cannot have Shahbaz Ahmed walk in at number 5. The absence of Rajit Patidar is a major blow for RCB but it should not mean that the entire batting becomes somewhat suspect.
The management failed
The loss against Lucknow was another heartbreaker. When will Mike Hesson, Kohli and Faf realise that Bangalore is not 200 runs ground? A minimum of 225 is what is required in Bangalore to be able to defend. It still is only a par score. Bangalore ground is too small and has the flattest pitch in the country.
Wicket keeper batsman will have to change
Dinesh Karthik is another liability. Sure he had a fantastic 2022 IPL. Last season, he had the luxury of a Patidar above him who batted almost throughout the innings in the company of Lomror and as a result, Karthik was left with only the last 2-3 overs to create mayhem. However, in the absence of Rajat Patidar, Karthik just cannot stick to his old methods. He needs to take more responsibility and bat according to the situation. He just cannot say that he is a finisher and that he will bat only during the fag end of the innings. It is time Karthik adapts his method or he is shown the door.
Bowling is another worry
If the batting is a concern, bowling is even more of a worry. The injuries to Reece Topley and Hazlewood have definitely impacted RCB’s bowling plan. Especially Topley but the bowling leaves a lot to be desired. Hasaranga and Siraj are probably their best bowlers. Perhaps, it will be better to allow Maxwell 4 overs so that one more batsman can be picked. Somehow, just somehow, they need to find a way to replace Harshal. He is expensive and is not the same death bowler any longer.
It must also be mentioned that RCB lost the services of Reece Topley right in the first game. He could have provided the cutting-edge bowling that RCB were so much looking for in a bowler all these years. He showed how good he is in this format even in the few overs he bowled. Siraj and Topley would have been tough for any team to bat against but it wasn’t to be.
The eternal bridesmaid
Ever since the inception of IPL, RCB had got an eye for talent. They picked Kohli when he had barely played for India and that proved to be a masterstroke. Kohli himself had revealed how grateful he is for RCB because no one gave him a chance during the earlier part of his career. Kohli repaid the trust by performing for several years. Some of those years beggars belief. Yet, RCB has not managed to win the title. Kohli captained the team for a number of years and even that did change their fortune.
Kohli had enough and relinquished the captaincy and Faf Plessis became the captain in 2022. He helped RCB finish 4th last time around which was creditable considering that Kohli on whom much was depending upon, was badly out of form and they hardly had good hitters.
Hero and villain
It is Kohli. Towards the fag end of the tournament, he got a couple of hundreds but was equally responsible for the loss against Lucknow in the above-mentioned game. His go-slow batting virtually put paid to any hopes of RCB scoring more than 230.
Wrapping up RCB IPL 2023 review
Rajat Patidar’s return will boost the side but there are far too many journey-men cricketers. Shahbaz, Karthik, Harshal, Lomror and to some extent, even Maxwell. Maxwell was among the 3 successful batsmen but he failed in the crucial final league game and in games where runs from his blade could have tilted the game in RCB’s favour.
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