Hyderabad: A loyal fanbase, a star-studded batting unit, and a slogan like 'E Sala Cup Namde' are supposed to help a team achieve any tournament title. But, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has been an exception to it as their bowling unit has faltered on multiple occasions which restricted them from bagging any title.
In the 16 seasons they have played, RCB have been three-time runners-up while they have made it to the playoffs on four occasions. In the remainder of the seasons, RCB’s campaign ended in the group stage but the trophy has always been a distant dream for the franchise.
After making it to the top four in three of the last four seasons, this edition is turning out to be worse for the side as they have managed to win only a single game while losing the other six and are lying at the bottom of the points table. Except for star batter and former skipper Virat Kohli and wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik, other batters have been out of form but the bowlers have to take the most blame for enduring consecutive defeats.
Going deeper into the team’s journey over the years, the team composition has been a major problem for the side. They have opted for a star-studded batting unit with two or three overseas batters leaving only one slot reserved for the overseas bowlers. Sometimes, the fourth overseas slot has been given to the all-rounder so they don't have any specialist overseas bowler in the playing XI.
A look at some of the campaigns where RCB failed to make playoffs depicts the vulnerability of the bowling unit. In 2012, RCB ended up fifth and they were the most expensive side with an economy of 8.36 and were also 8th out of nine teams in terms of taking wickets by scalping 89 wickets in the season. Pacers Vinay Kumar and Harshal Patel conceded runs with an economy of above 8 in the cash-rich tournament.
In 2013, RCB were in fifth place and this time they were the second most expensive bowling unit with an economy of 8.09. Once again there was one overseas specialist bowler in the team in the form of Ravi Rampaul while pacers Vinay Kumar and RP Singh were other key bowlers in the lineup.
2019 was another season when the bowling issue came to the fore. They finished their campaign in the last position in the points table and were the third-most expensive bowling unit in the competition with an economy of 8.95. Also, they were the bowling unit with the second-highest strike rate in the tournament which indicated their lack of wicket-taking ability.
These were the seasons where RCB’s bowling issues hampered their chances. However, in 2016, they had Yuzvendra Chahal in the bowling unit who picked 21 wickets in the tournament at an amazing strike rate of 21 scalps. Also, the two overseas bowlers Shane Watson and Chris Jordan played a key role. Watson had a strike rate of 16.9 and the bowling unit had the second-least strike rate of 18.81 in the tournament.
2021 was another season when the bowling unit fared pretty well with an economy of 8.04 and least strike rate of 17.86. Harshal Patel was absolutely phenomenal in the season taking 32 wickets with a strike of 10.5 while Chahal also made a vital contribution once again.
Not only in terms of this bowling structure but RCB have also lost it most of the time at the auction table. Harshal and Chahal who were the two brilliant performers were released by the franchise. Harshal was released by them in 2023 along with another spinner who played a key role for the franchise, Wanindu Hasaranga. The most bizarre choice from the team came in 2022 when they released Chahal ahead of the auction overlooking his contributions to the side.
This time, the matters are worse and RCB is the most expensive side with an economy of 10.71 and also has the highest strike rate of 27.89 meaning it is taking them more than four overs to take a wicket.
This season there is not to do much for them as they have utilised almost all of their resources. For upcoming years they can opt for a bowling overhaul through the mega auction next year or groom the players after scouting them from domestic circuits like Mumbai Indians did with Jasprit Bumrah and Pandya brothers (Hardik and Krunal).
They will also need to look for the future leader in the upcoming auction as both Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli are in the twilight of their careers. The team will look towards a young leader to lead the pack and they have to buy a skipper as well or otherwise hand the reigns of the team to someone like Rajat Patidar.
The overall journey of RCB shows that they need to work on their bowling unit in the future to get their hands on the title.
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