3 major factors behind RCB's turnaround in second half of IPL 2024
With seven losses from their first eight IPL 2024 games, few would have given Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) any chance of staying alive in the playoffs race entering the final week of the league phase. Most of their faithful had given up after their heartbreaking one-run loss to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR).
However, IPL over the years has proven that momentum is key and RCB picked it up when it looked all over for them. With five wins in a row, Royal Challengers Bengaluru now stand a chance to qualify for playoffs in spectacular fashion if other results go their way and they beat Chennai Super Kings with enough margin to better their net run rate.
On that note, let's take a look at the three main reasons why RCB found that momentum that has helped them forge an incredible comeback:
#3 RCB finally settling on a bowling combination
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru were not consistent with their bowling line-ups to start with and their big-money signing Alzarri Joseph wasn't delivering to the levels expected of him. All-rounder Cameron Green had also been in and out of the side.
However, they finally settled in on a new ball combination of Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal and it worked well with the introduction of leg-spinner Karn Sharma and left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh.
With seven wickets in his last four games, Siraj finally has struck the form that RCB wanted. Lockie Ferguson's role as an enforcer has also helped Bengaluru get those crucial wickets in the middle overs.
#2 Rajat Patidar's spin demolition
Rajat Patidar had a disappointing run for India in his debut Test series against England earlier this year and he seemed to bring that form into IPL 2024 with just 50 runs from his first four innings. However, the turnaround since has been nothing short of magnificent.
In the next seven innings that Patidar has scored five half-centuries and has taken a special liking to quality spinners in the opposition all around the park. This has given RCB the cutting edge they needed in the middle overs to up the ante.
They will hope this continues as Patidar is the point of difference in the middle overs and that has ensured less burden of run-scoring on Virat Kohli.
#1 Will Jacks getting consistent gametime
With just 32 runs in six games, RCB finally pulled the trigger on Glenn Maxwell and gave England's Will Jacks a consistent run at the No. 3 position. Jacks eventually replaced Maxwell as a regular in the team and the results that Bengaluru have got have been phenomenal.
In eight matches, Jacks has scored 230 runs at a magnificent strike rate of 175.57 with a fifty and a blistering hundred that he scored against the Gujarat Titans off just 41 balls.
His combination with Patidar has made the middle order a powerhouse, allowing Faf du Plessis and Kohli to express themselves without worry. They suddenly look like a dangerous top-six with Green and Dinesh Karthik to follow.