The Indian Premier League 2024 is almost halfway through and a handful of teams have already found the right combination for their squads. Unfortunately, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are not one of them and they find themselves struggling in IPL 2024 with just one win in seven games so far. RCB’s latest defeat was against Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 15 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium where they conceded 287 runs, the highest total in the history of the T20 cricket league. RCB, led by Faf du Plessis, responded with 262 runs and became the first team in the IPL to score a total of over 250 runs in the chase.
Their only win this season came at home against Kings XI Punjab, which they won by four wickets. Since then, the Bengaluru-based side have lost five games in a row and collected just two points, leaving them at the bottom of the table with a net rating of -1.185.
However, they can still make it to the IPL 2024 playoffs if they win all their remaining league matches, which seems quite far-fetched considering their underperforming bowling unit and inexperienced domestic squad. However, they have made comebacks in the past.
What’s wrong with RCB in 2024?
While RCB’s batting has performed well this season, their bowling attack has been ordinary from the start. With Mohammed Siraj’s numbers falling below par and the spin attack failing to pose a threat to the opposition batsmen, it’s safe to say that their bowling has been a major area of concern. Captain Faf du Plessis even admitted they “don’t have that many weapons”. RCB is one of the teams with the worst economy this season, with a bowling average of over 90 in the powerplay.
RCB has used as many as 20 players in IPL 2024 so far and has been struggling to find a stable starting XI. Their previous match against SRH brought into focus the issues with their bowling unit this season, with four of their bowlers conceding more than 50 runs, a first in the IPL.
In fact, Indian legend Virat Kohli is currently the leading run-scorer in IPL 2024 with 361 runs in seven innings and Dinesh Karthik has had a good season for the team as a finisher but they were completely let down by RCB’s poor bowling Covered by the team. .
What did they say?
“It was tough, we tried a lot of things, a few different things, but they didn’t quite work. So that’s a sign of confidence in the other group. When your confidence is low, there’s nowhere to hide in the game. ” Du Plessis said after the loss to SRH.
“We lost the game but I’m very proud of the way we fought. Of course, it’s really a night on the pitch. We’ll think, we’ll get stronger and it’s obviously knockout time. Every game It’s all like the semi-finals – our last game.” RCB head coach Andy Flower sounded optimistic during Monday’s dressing room chat.
How can RCB still qualify for the IPL playoffs?
As their head coach Andy Flower pointed out, RCB need to treat every game here as a knockout match. RCB need to win their next seven games to secure 16 points.
If they are tied with one or more teams in the standings, even 16 points may not be enough as their net rating has already taken a hit.
Whenever the IPL has had 8 or more teams (2011, 2012, 2013, 2022, 2023), the minimum points to qualify for the playoffs is 16 points. Royal Challengers must win their next seven games to stay in the playoffs and also need other struggling teams like Delhi Capitals, Kings XI Punjab and Mumbai Indians to lose as many games as possible. However, it won’t be easy for them as they will face four former IPL champions in the upcoming matches.
In the next match, RCB bowlers Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Lockie Ferguson, Vyshak Vijay Kumar, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph and others need to perform. They need to bounce back with good economy and start getting wickets.
They also need overseas players like Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Reece Topley and Rocky Ferguson to help.
RCB makes comeback from old days
RCB won just one of their first five matches in IPL 2009 and finished at the bottom of the points table. However, they won seven of their next nine games to reach the semifinals and eventually the final. However, the Anil Kumble-led side failed to win the title as they lost to the now-defunct Deccan Chargers in Johannesburg.
RCB remaining fixtures
Sunday, April 21: KKR take on RCB in Kolkata
Thursday, April 25: SRH take on RCB in Hyderabad
Sunday, April 28: GT vs RCB in Ahmedabad
Saturday, May 4: RCB vs GT at Bengaluru
Thursday, May 9: PBKS vs. RCB at Dharamshala
Sunday, May 12: RCB vs. DC at Bengaluru
Saturday, May 18: RCB take on CSK at Bengaluru
Topics mentioned in this article
Follow us on Google news ,Twitter , and Join Whatsapp Group of thelocalreport.in
