IPL Auction 2022: 3 glaring issues with the RCB squad that might be exposed
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will be a new-look outfit in the 2022 Indian Premier League (IPL) despite retaining three players and bringing back a few more names from the squad that reached the Eliminator last year.
The three-time finalists will have a new captain, apart from several new faces signed at the IPL 2022 auction. Overall, while their squad has immense potential, it's tough to imagine the team competing with the best in the league on a regular basis.
RCB's squad for IPL 2022: Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Jason Behrendorff, Chama Milind, Karn Sharma, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford, Suyash Prabhudessai, Aneeshwar Gautam, David Willey, Luvnith Sisodia, Siddharth Kaul
Here are three glaring issues with the RCB squad for IPL 2022 that might be exposed down the line.
#3 RCB are heavily reliant on Glenn Maxwell
Glenn Maxwell was the star of the show for RCB in IPL 2021 as he led them to the playoffs with his explosive hitting, useful spin and electric fielding. Liberated by the team using him in the top order, the Aussie played several crucial knocks on difficult surfaces.
But part of the reason behind Maxwell's success was the presence of AB de Villiers in the middle order. RCB are now without their South African legend and Maxwell has a lot more weight on his shoulders. As the only out-and-out aggressor in the top four, the 33-year-old might have a lot on his plate without much batting to follow.
Maxwell is also RCB's best option against spin, with names like Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli having struggled to find the boundary against slow bowling in the recent past. If he fails to deliver against spin, opposition teams might find it far too easy to spin a web around RCB. And needless to say, an injury to Maxwell could completely derail RCB's season as they don't have a real replacement for him.
#2 RCB's batting order has clear weaknesses
Speaking of spin hitting, Maxwell is probably RCB's only real option in the top order. The likes of Anuj Rawat and Mahipal Lomror are exciting young talents who have the ability to clear the boundary, but they aren't the kind of names that inspire confidence in a title-contending team.
Lower down the order, Wanindu Hasaranga is an excellent player of spin but hasn't been able to come out on top against hard pace. Dinesh Karthik has been a fish out of water against leg-spin, while Du Plessis and Kohli have run into some strike-rate issues against spin over the last few IPL seasons.
Most of RCB's batters have clear weaknesses against a specific kind of bowling, and unfortunately for the team, they seem bunched up in the playing XI. Opposition teams might find it far too easy to come up with successful plans against them since the batting lineup doesn't really inspire confidence, especially with Kohli being far from his best.
#1 RCB will have to assign inexperienced names key roles
Apart from big names like Kohli, Du Plessis, Maxwell and Hazlewood, RCB don't have many players who have been regulars at the IPL level. Even expensive signings like Harshal and Hasaranga don't have more than one IPL season of note under their belt. In fact, Hasaranga failed to deliver even in the few games he played for the franchise in IPL 2021.
Players like Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed and Akash Deep might have to play important roles for RCB in IPL 2022. And given their inexperience, they might not be able to deliver immediately. RCB have a plethora of talented players who have massive ceilings, but they might not come together as a unit as early as IPL 2022.