What would you brag about if you are a Royal Challengers Bangalore fan? Probably, that 175* from Chris Gayle against Pune Warriors India, the fascinating 2016 season that Virat Kohli had, the instances of batting masterclass from AB de Villiers and much more. There are lot of individual brilliances to talk about but the wait for the trophy, continues!
Faf du Plessis was named RCB’s captain after Virat Kohli stepped down. Sportzpics
After sneaking into the playoffs, RCB fell short in the Eliminator and became the centre of all memes on social media and the trophy cabinet continues to be empty. Unlike previous editions, 2022 was a year full of plenty of positives for the Faf Du Plessis-led unit. For once, it was a season where the focus shifted from the star players to the little-known ones. RCB have certainly developed a team they can stick with for the next 3-4 years. The management won’t have a headache of filing the voids as there are players now who can chip in as and when required.
A strong-headed captain
Faf scored a total of 468 runs in 16 matches including three fifties.Sportzpics
After Virat Kohli resigned from the post of the RCB captain, following their exit from IPL 2021, the franchise was certainly in a state of confusion as to who would lead the side.
RCB though had retained Glenn Maxwell but when they spent big bucks on Faf du Plessis in the mega auction, it was certainly clear that the South African would be leading the side. Later, the franchise made an official announcement of the same.
There has been a lot of external noise in the previous editions about RCB’s thinktank and how they had operated in the past. This year however Faf seemed spot on with his decisions and the team wore a stable look in all their matches.
The South African took some bold decisions both on and off the field and the result of the same was evident in the first phase of the tournament where RCB clinched wins in the first five matches out of the seven that they played.
They did lose the next three but Faf’s experience and the valuable contributions from others brought them back in the hunt with three wins in the next four matches.
With 8 wins in 14 matches and 16 points under their belt, RCB needed some help from Mumbai Indians as the Rohit Sharma-led side was locking horns with Delhi Capitals in an important fixture.
DC were placed with 14 points in 13 matches and a win against MI in the final league game for them would have opened the doors for the playoffs. DC would have had same points as RCB but would have made the qualification on the basis of a better NRR.
Well, that didn’t really happen as the Capitals lost to MI to end the campaign at 14 points in 14 matches. While Faf looked very comfortable in the captaincy role, the returns weren’t consistent with the bat as he managed a tally of 468 runs in 16 fixtures, including three fifties.
The way Faf has handled the side and the kind of performance he has given himself, RCB can think of continuing with him for the next couple of seasons, considering his fitness. The management will also get time to groom a youngster to take over the reins.
Rajat Patidar: Remember the name
Rajat Patidar scored a century for RCB.
Sportzpics
Rajat Patidar’s story is nothing less than a Bollywood flick. He played four games for RCB in last edition and then went unsold in the mega auction ahead of IPL 2022 only to be called back as a replacement for injured Luvnith Sisodia.
When RCB pushed Kohli to top of the order, they needed a solid hand at No 3 and the management turned to Patidar. Equally good against spin and pace, Patidar grabbed the opportunity with both hands and gave the side much-needed momentum with the bat.
Patidar was scoring runs for RCB and had a fifty and a 48 in the first five matches itself but he showed his real class in the Eliminator match against Lucknow Super Giants.
RCB had lost skipper Faf early while Kohli was struggling to get runs quickly at the other end when Patidar stepped in to play one of the finest knocks in the history of Indian Premier League.
He used all the strokes in the book and notched up an unbeaten 112 off 54 to help the side post 207/4 in 20 overs. RCB later won the match by 14 runs.
The right-handed batter continued his form in Qualifier 2 against RR as well. Moreover, the temperament that Patdiar showed in this match that was something to watch out for.
When the big guns failed to fire, Patidar scored a fifty and helped the side put some runs on the board. RCB eventually lost the match and bowed out of the tournament. In a game where there was little to talk about RCB’s batting, Patidar remained the talking point.
Struggling Virat Kohli
Former RCB skipper Virat Kohli provided the fans with that rare sight of being the weak link in the line up. It seemed that his wicket was a cakewalk for all the sides. He found going tough early in the competition and continued to find different ways of getting out. Both vs spin and pace. There was an extended rough patch but the knock against Gujarat Titans kept the critics interested ahead of the knockouts. Just when everyone expected him to go big when it mattered the most, Kohli failed to get going against both Lucknow Super Giants and Rajasthan Royals.
Steady middle-order
There was a major glitch in RCB’s batting unit in previous editions. The team was generally dependent on two-three players to do bulk of scoring which wasn’t the case in this edition.
Faf scored runs but he also had a few off days. Kohli’s form was a concern anyhow. In this situation, the side needed someone to provide the resistance along with Dinesh Karthik and Glenn Maxwell in the middle-order and Patidar and Shahbaz Ahmed did the same lower down the order. While Patidar made headlines with his hundred, Shahbaz scored 219 runs in 16 matches at a decent average of just over 27.
DK’s inclusion
Dinesh Karthik has been the star player for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Image: Sportzpics for IPL
The Royal Challengers Bangalore played a masterstroke after they roped in Dinesh Karthik. Karthik’s USP has been his brisk knocks especially in the death overs.
The wicket-keeper batter’s inclusion in the line-up brought a lot of balance in the middle-order for RCB and helped them score crucial and quick runs in the final phase of the innings on a number of occasions.
Karthik is someone who can exploit the gaps with ease and he showed the same in the death overs this season. Not only he scored at a brisk pace, he was also one of the most consistent batters for the Bangalore unit this season.
Impressive bowling unit
Wanindu Hasaranga celebrates after taking a wicket. Sportzpics
Harshal Patel might have had the best season last year but he seemed to be in control of his bowling much more in this edition. His bad days were really bad in 2021 but that wasn’t the case this time.
While Patel has picked up wickets for RCB consistently in both the seasons, his economy rate was much better this time. Harshal returned with a total of 19 wickets in 15 matches at an economy rate of 7.66.
Moreover, the way he deceives the batters with the slower ones has done wonders for him. Without a doubt, Patel has played a key role in RCB’s road to playoffs this year.
The franchise some huge amount of money on another player and that was Wanindu Hasaranga. Well, the Sri Lankan spinner didn’t disappoint anyone as far as his personal performance is concerned.
He was there is the purple cap race right till the end before Chahal edged past him and picked up one wicket extra.
Hasaranga ended IPL 2022 with 26 scalps to his name in 16 matches which also included a fifer. He troubled the batters with his spin web throughout and answered everyone as to why he deserved some big bidding. Josh Hazlewood in the powerplay overs was another positive for RCB and not to forget the handy contributions from both Shahbaz and Maxwell.
More than disappointments, it has been a campaign of positives for RCB and they now have a chance to make a core team that can be persisted with for a long time.
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