5 stars who can define RCB’s IPL 2024 ft. Cameron Green
The 17th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) is just around the corner, and fan favorites Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will face off in the first match on March 22 at MA Chidambaram Stadium, Chennai.
RCB will be looking to start on a winning note, on their opponent's territory, under the leadership of Faf du Plessis. Last year, RCB failed to qualify for the playoffs after losing their last league match against the Gujarat Titans, courtesy of a brilliant century by Shubman Gill.
RCB have played in three finals of the IPL but not managed to win a single trophy, with their last appearance in the summit clash coming in 2016 where they lost to SRH. Now, they will be looking to take inspiration from the women's team, who won the second season of the Women's Premier League.
The Bangalore-based franchise has added some new faces to the squad, one of them being Australian all-rounder Cameron Green, who was traded to RCB from Mumbai Indians (MI). Also, the team tried to strengthen their bowling department by adding three overseas pacers- Tom Curran, Alzarri Joseph, and Lockie Ferguson.
On that note, let’s look at the five players who can define the team’s fate in the IPL 2024.
#5 - Faf du Plessis
The former CSK star will look to guide RCB to their first-ever IPL trophy. Du Plessis joined RCB in 2022 and was appointed captain the same year. RCB qualified for the playoffs in 2022 before falling short the next season in 2023, and Faf will be looking to change it this year.
Meanwhile, the RCB captain had a season to remember last year with the bat, scoring 730 runs in 14 matches, which included eight half-centuries, with a strike rate of 153.6 and an average of 56.1.
The Proteas batter will be looking to continue the same form this season as well and will be looking to motivate his players to go all out and bring glory to the Bangalore-based franchise.
#4 - Glenn Maxwell
RCB fans will be hoping for Australia’s World Cup-winning player Glenn Maxwell to play a huge part in the team's success this year. He was in good form during the World Cup, and his double-century against Afghanistan while struggling with fitness showed his class.
The Australian all-rounder scored 400 runs in 14 matches with a strike of 183.4, which included five half-centuries in the last season. He was fourth on the list of players with the maximum number of sixes in the season. The RCB all-rounder will also be looking to contribute with his off-spin. Last year, he picked up three wickets and will be looking to add more to his tally this time.
#3 - Mohammed Siraj
With RCB’s bowling attack perhaps one of the weaker ones compared to other sides, the Indian pacer will have a huge job to do for his franchise. With no Harshal Patel and Josh Hazlewood in the ranks, Mohammed Siraj will have to lead the bowling attack, which includes young Indian pacers like Yash Dayal, Akash Deep, and Vijaykumar Vyshak.
RCB have shown tremendous faith in Siraj over the years, and the pacer hasn’t disappointed them, emerging as one of the finest bowlers in their side. In IPL 2023, Siraj managed to pick 19 wickets in 14 matches, with a decent economy of 7.5.
Siraj will have a job picking wickets in the powerplay and also bowling tough overs in the death. After having a decent World Cup and Test series against England, he will be looking to bring all his experience into the game and deliver some match-winning performances for his team.
# 2 - Virat Kohli
Arguably one of the best players of this generation, Virat Kohli needs no introduction. He has been an instrumental part of the franchise since the first season.
Kohli is coming back after a break, having missed the Test series against England due to personal reasons. In the forthcoming IPL, Kohli will be looking to get back to his best and put up some noteworthy performances before the T20 World Cup.
Kohli, a legend of the sport, is the leading run scorer in the IPL, having scored more than 7,000 runs. He is also coming on the back of a very successful previous edition, where he scored 639 runs at an average of 53.2 including two centuries and six half-centuries.
Virat Kohli will be looking to continue his great run in the IPL by delivering some memorable performances, which might perhaps break RCB’s trophy drought.
#1 - Cameron Green
Another World Cup-winning player who will have some tasks ahead of him is Cameron Green. The all-rounder from Australia was traded to RCB from the Mumbai Indians for a whopping INR 17.5 crore.
Green made his IPL debut last year and was one of the key players in MI's success. The all-rounder scored 452 runs at an average of 50.2 and a strike rate of 160.2. He also scored a century for MI against SRH in a must-win game. However, he didn’t have much success with the ball, as he managed to pick up only six wickets at an economy of 9.5.
The Aussie will have to play a huge role for his new team with his all-round skills. Batting in the middle order, he'll have a fair chance to showcase his bowling skills as well in the league. If RCB are to have a great season, Cameron Green will have to play a major part in the team’s success.