IPL 2019: Royal Challengers Bangalore mid-season analysis
Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently last on the points table, with one win from seven matches and an NRR of -1.202.
Their season started off in a horrible fashion when Parthiv Patel was the only batsman to make double figures in their loss to Chennai Super Kings, and an umpiring error in their loss against Mumbai Indians denied them a chance at a different result.
A thrashing against Sunrisers Hyderabad followed, where poor bowling saw David Warner and Jonny Bairstow score centuries and the entire Bangalore team falling one run short of Bairstow's score. A loss against Rajasthan Royals then followed, losing to them by seven wickets.
The team would have been anticipating a win against Kolkata Knight Riders at home, but poor fielding and worse death bowling against Andre Russell saw them lose and further jeopardize their NRR. A four-wicket loss to Delhi Capitals then followed, with Kagiso Rabada picking up four wickets and rival captain Shreyas Iyer scoring a half-century.
With six losses so far, it would have been some relief to the team when they won their next match against Kings XI Punjab. Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers and tight spin bowling from Moeen Ali and Yuzvendra Chahal saw them win with eight wickets to spare.
Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have been their batsmen of the season so far, with Kohli scoring 270 runs and two half-centuries and de Villiers scoring 238 runs and three half-centuries. That they have been the best batsmen in the team comes as no surprise as the two of them have consistently been the best batsmen for the past few seasons.
Wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel and all-rounder Marcus Stionis are the only other batsmen to have passed 100 runs for Bangalore this season, with Patel providing stability as an opening batsman and Stionis providing lower-order firepower. Shivam Dube and Shimron Hetmyer have had poor seasons so far, with Dube scoring 16 runs in three innings and Hetmyer scoring 15 in four innings.
Yuzvendra Chahal has been their best bowler so far with 11 wickets, followed by Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini with 6 and 4 wickets respectively. Umesh Yadav has only managed 2 wickets from 5 matches so far and Moeen Ali and Pawan Negi have 3 wickets each.
That their bowlers have such poor returns so far comes down to poor fielding, an inability to stick to plans and tactical mismanagement from Kohli. More spin against Kolkata Knight Riders would have slowed them down considerably, a fact pointed out by rival captain Dinesh Karthik. A proper death bowler has also not been identified yet, with Siraj going for runs and Tim Southee pulverized by Andre Russell for 29 runs in one over.
Dale Steyn has been called up to replace Nathan Coulter-Nile, which would ease their death bowling concerns to an extent. His availability is dependent on his place in South Africa's World Cup squad, and with everything indicating that he is likely to be selected, he could not be available for the closing stages of the tournament.
Moeen Ali and Marcus Stionis will also not be available towards the end of the tournament due to England and Australia's World Cup preparations. Washington Sundar is someone who can play in place of Moeen, while Colin de Grandhomme is a like-for-like replacement for Stionis.
To stay in contention for the playoffs, they have to win at least six of their remaining seven matches.
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