IPL 2021: Do RCB finally have their best bowling attack?
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have always been a batting powerhouse. The willow-wielders have always been their matchwinners while the bowling unit has perennially been their Achilles heel. It's unsurprising that experts and the team's loyal fanbase have always been vocal about the team's struggles with the ball. But there might be a change of opinion given how their IPL 2021 campaign has panned out.
Seven games into the league before the BCCI paused the tournament due to the discovery of COVID-19 cases within the IPL bio-bubble, RCB registered five wins and were perched comfortably at third place in the points table.
The Royal Challengers have successfully defended three of their four first innings totals this season - an indication of an improved bowling unit. The attack wore a new look with Mohammed Siraj leading the pacers, assisted by the likes of Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini and Harshal Patel. Yuzvendra Chahal, Washington Sundar and Shahbaz Ahmed were their chief spin trio while Glenn Maxwell was used as a backup option.
How did RCB's bowlers fare?
How did RCB's bowlers fare this season? In one word, impressive. Mohammed Siraj leading the bowling unit would have raised eyebrows. However, the Hyderabadi pacer was in his element, picking up six wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 7.34, his best-ever in the IPL.
Siraj's contributions at the top and at the death were key to RCB's wins against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and the thrilling one-run victory against the Delhi Capitals (DC).
Kyle Jamieson was expensive with an economy rate of 9.20, but he reaped the benefits that stemmed from Siraj's accuracy from the end as picked up nine wickets.
Harshal Patel, RCB's surprise package in IPL 2021, racked up 17 wickets with his deceptive pace and the slower yorkers. He was just as expensive as Jamieson with an economy rate of 9.17, but his wicket-taking deliveries gave RCB the opportunity to close out games.
While the pace attack was instrumental in sealing wins for the side, the spin department had some concerns, starting with Yuzvendra Chahal's poor run. The leg-spinner took only four wickets in this edition and leaked runs in the middle.
Washington Sundar was more of a container than a wicket-taker as he picked up three wickets at an economy rate of 7.13.
Shahbaz Ahmed produced his most effective spell against SRH, finishing with figures of 3/7. In the process, he took his final tally to four wickets in the five matches he played for the side.
RCB's pacers picked up 32 wickets combined, while the spinners had just 11 scalps.
The nature of the track, the dew factor, and the ability of the batsmen to play spin - all the factors come into the equation when the RCB think-tank sits down for a mid-season review. Though they need to address their spin issues, there is no doubt they will be more than pleased with their rejuvenated pace attack.
Is this the best bowling attack RCB ever had?
An argument can be made for the bowling attack RCB had in their 2009 and 2010 seasons, which featured the likes of Anil Kumble, Vinay Kumar, Dale Steyn and Jacques Kallis.
Kumble (45), Steyn (97), Mitchell Starc (34), Sreenath Aravind (45) have all contributed with wickets for RCB over the seasons. And despite it all, the trophy still eluded RCB. Their bowling in the 2021 edition has been their most promising by far, culminating in their best chance to grab the silverware.
Former RCB batsman Kevin Pietersen recently outlined the comfort level that skipper Virat Kohli has with his options this season. Speaking on the Star Sports pre-match show, he explained how Kohli has the resources to figure out the right combination this time.
“I think I’m going to talk about this point again, just purely on the basis that I think it makes such a big difference to RCB, the bowling department."
“Virat Kohli has been desperately searching for combinations in his bowlers – to try and make sure that they start the innings with the impact, like they’re able to do with the bat. Kohli, De Villiers, they’ve now got Glenn Maxwell, Devdutt Padikkal, they’ve got all that. So, the batting department is absolutely fine. It is the bowling department that they have struggled with," Pietersen opined.
“Dale Steyn, like I said earlier, Mitchell Starc, was someone who was almost there, almost came. They’ve got through that many bowlers. It looks like they’ve been comfortable with Kyle Jamieson and Mohammed Siraj."