Last Updated on 2 months by Charbel Coorey

‘Ee Sala Cup Namdhe’

This has been the slogan of RCB fans since 2018, but the franchise hasn’t qualified for the playoffs for the past three editions. As is the case with the franchise’s highly optimistic fans every year, this year they will have renewed expectations from the Virat Kohli-led side. 

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have been perennial underachievers in spite of boasting some big names in their squads over the years. This year, the three-time runners-up have revamped their coaching setup, letting go of Gary Kirsten and Ashish Nehra due to poor performances in the 2019 edition, in which the team bagged the wooden spoon. 

RCB have roped in Kiwi Mike Hesson and former Aussie batsman Simon Katich in the capacity of Head of Cricket Operations and Head Coach respectively. Until now, the franchise’s preparations have almost been spot on. 

The team only retained Moeen Ali and AB De Villiers among foreign players and released every other overseas player, including the likes of Tim Southee, Colin De Grandhomme and Marcus Stoinis. What followed after taking this bold decision was the execution of some meticulous planning on the auction table, bagging the likes of Chris Morris, Aaron Finch, Dale Steyn and Josh Philippe, to name a few.

With the IPL all set to kick start on the 19th of September in UAE, here is the analysis of the RCB squad. We take up the yearly question, can the Royal Challengers Bangalore finally get their hands on the coveted trophy? 

Squad 

Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Gurkeerat Mann, Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Adam Zampa, Dale Steyn, Isuru Udana, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Shivam Dube, Washington Sundar, Chris Morris, Pavan Deshpande Parthiv Patel, Joshua Philippe, Shahbaz Ahamad

Talking Points

1. Who will be the keeper and middle order batsmen?

One of the major talking points of the RCB batting is the opening combination and who will be the No. 3, No. 4 and No. 5 batsmen in the middle order. Parthiv Patel was impressive last season with 373 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 139. But the wicket keeper’s performance post-powerplay has been mediocre, as his strike rate slumps to 125 and averages just 15 after the first six overs.

So, it remains to be seen if the franchise persists with Patel as the gloveman. They can try out the alternative of Josh Phillipe or as their recent tweet suggested, AB de Villiers, who has also been wearing gloves in the practice sessions. 

This also gives them a chance to play Devdutt Padikkal who has been in top-notch form in the domestic season and also has attracted praise from Hesson. “Being a local Karnataka lad (Devdutt Paddikal), this domestic season has shown an ability to step up quickly. To have such an excellent season when only 19 is very heartening for RCB for sure,” Mike Hesson said as quoted by ESPNCricinfo in December last year. 

Padikkal scored 400 runs in the Syed Mushtaq Ali trophy 2019 and was the second-highest run scorer of that edition, with an average of 50 and a strike rate of 171. 

Also read: Why have RCB struggled for success in IPL?

2. ABD’s batting position

Another major question for the Virat Kohli-led side is the batting position of AB de Villiers. The Protea played the first three matches of the 2019 edition at No. 4, before he was promoted to No. 3. In recent seasons, he has evidently struggled against spinners and has had a considerable difference in his strike rate against the pacers. RCB also have better players of spin who can play in the middle order with Shivam Dube, Moeen Ali and Devdutt Padikkal in their ranks. 

Mr. 360 will mostly be playing No. 4 or No. 5 depending on the situation but you can expect him to play the role of the finisher for the franchise. 

Strengths

1. Spin bowling attack

WIth the IPL moving to UAE, spin is expected to be the flavour of the season. The Royal Challengers have arguably one of the best spin bowling attacks with Yuzvendra Chahal, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Washington Sundar in the squad. They have also signed Adam Zampa as a replacement of Kane Richardson and the Aussie will prove as an excellent backup pick. 

As of now, the team has two leg spinners and a slow left arm spinner as frontline bowlers, as well as two spin bowling all rounders. Indeed, RCB possesses one of the most well-rounded spin attacks in the eight-team league. 

2. Indian core

For the first time in over a decade, RCB can claim to have a core group of Indian players. Along with a certain captain Kohli, they have their leading wicket taker Chahal. To complement the two Indian star players, Shivam Dube, Navdeep Saini and one of Washington Sundar and Pawan Negi will be sure starter in the playing XI. The champion sides of the past, CSK, KKR and MI, have had great domestic talents and RCB potentially have the best Indian players in the IPL. 

3. Backup options

With only four overseas slots available, some big names can warm the bench for the franchise, which may include the likes of Dale Steyn and Adam Zampa. The team has done excellent work on the auction table and that reflects in their bench strength. Along with Steyn and Zampa, players like Isuru Udana, Mohammad Siraj, Pawan Negi and Josh Phillipe can be perfect replacements if any of the first players are in bad form or pick an injury over the course of the tournament. 

4. Kohli and ABD

For a long time in spite of the constant changes in the squad, a constant for RCB has been the presence of Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers. Though the franchise has been over-dependent on the duo, they have single-handedly led RCB to a lot of victories. This year, the expectations will be no different. 

Weaknesses

1. Backing players

One of the major problems for the franchise has been the constant chopping and changing of players in the playing XI. Last season, the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Dube failed in the first 5 matches and were dropped for the remainder of the tournament. 

For quite a few seasons now, RCB’s problem has been not backing players and dropping them after a few failures. If they decide to play the young players like Washington Sundar, Devdutt Padikkal or even Moeen Ali, they should be given a fair run of games at a batting position and they decide their fate. 

2. Middle order 

As of now the batting order of the three-time runners up is uncertain. One aspect that may haunt the franchise, is the shuffling of batting order, which they have done in the past. The batsmen should be given a fair run for sometime.

Prediction

Unlike the past few seasons or for the first time since 2015, RCB seems to have a strong group of core players and start the tournament with some strategy and planning. The team has been over-reliant on Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers, but with Chris Morris and a better Indian core in their ranks, RCB have what it takes to reach the playoffs this season.

Written by Sarthak Karkhanis. Follow Sarthak on Twitter today.