IPL 2019: What has gone wrong for RCB in the tournament?
Royal Challengers Bangalore are in deep trouble as they are at the bottom of the league. They have lost all their matches so far and look sure to miss out on this season's playoff rounds, requiring victory in all their remaining games (8 games), and should regroup themselves as soon as possible.
The Challengers suffered a humiliating defeat in their opening match to Chennai Super Kings where they managed to put up a paltry total of 70 runs. Luck did not favour the Bangalore team too, as they lost in a controversial last over to Mumbai Indians. Hyderabad and Kolkata won comprehensively against the Bengaluru outfit also. The series of demoralising losses have dented the confidence of Virat Kohli's side.
The baseball legend, Yogi Berra, once indeed said- "It ain't over till it's over." Mathematically, RCB can still secure the top 4, and other franchises have completed a similarly daunting task.
Several issues need quick attention of captain Virat Kohli and his management team to stay in the hunt for the knockouts. On this note, let us glance through the aspects which need addressing.
#1 Finding a steady batting combination
RCB's batting order looks over-reliant on the superstar pair of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. One of these two batsmen has to score big runs if RCB has to post a competitive total. The batsmen have failed to produce match-winning totals, barring the game against Kolkata Knight Riders in which they accumulated 205 runs, where Kohli and ABD garnered 84 and 63 runs respectively.
The batting order is top-heavy with Kohli opening the batting and ABD coming at number 3. Akshdeep Nath is not a finisher as he looks to rotate the strike and find an occasional boundary and could be a handy option during the middle overs. Marcus Stoinis is capable of hitting long shots from the start of his innings and could flourish as a finisher. A batting swap between Akshdeep and Stoinis could help the Challengers find a balance in their batting order.
Shimron Hetmyer was bought in this year's auction in hopes of solving their middle-order conundrum. The West Indian southpaw has failed miserably for the Challengers, scoring a pitiable total of 15 runs in 4 matches.
AB de Villiers' nonchalant batting can provide much-needed solidity to the fragile middle-order at number 4, while Moeen Ali can express himself at number 3. Nathan Coulter-Nile will be available for selection in the next few days. The Australian's pinch-hitting could provide him an edge over New-Zealand pacer, Tim Southee, who is looking out-of-sorts.