IPL 2020 – Season review: Royal Challengers Bangalore – The wait continues

Royal Challengers Bangalore, the perennial underachievers of the IPL, qualified for the playoffs after 3 long years, but could not proceed beyond the eliminator. They had a good season in relation to how they have fared in the last 3 years, but there is still scope for a lot of improvement. They started off brilliantly, winning 7 in 10 games. But 5 consecutive losses in the business end meant they finished at number 4 in the league phase and were consequently knocked out. This year, they seemed to have identified a core group, and if they can iron out a few chinks, they could become a stronger team with better chances of winning the next year. Here is a season review of RCB.

Positives

Youngsters Devdutt Padikkal and Washington Sundar were the biggest positives for RCB this year. Padikkal, just 20, had one of the best seasons a youngster has ever had. In his debut year, he was the highest run-getter for RCB in the season with 473 runs along with 5 50s. He gave RCB the solid starts which they had been missing for a few years. He comes across as a very elegant and talented batsman, and within a couple of years could become one of RCB’s mainstays.

Washington Sundar, who has been with RCB since 2018, was finally utilised perfectly in the powerplay. The result of that was Sundar picked 8 wickets at an economy of 5.96 this season, with most of his overs coming in the first 6 overs. With his height and the length he bowls, top batsmen found it difficult to put him away. Sundar is 21, and the performance of these two guys will give immense confidence to RCB for the future.

The 3️⃣ talismans at the forefront of RCB’s batting might in the Dream11 IPL 2020?

Which of their knocks would you look back on fondly, 12th Man Army??@imVkohli @devdpd07@ABdeVilliers17#PlayBold #IPL2020 #WeAreChallengers #Dream11IPL pic.twitter.com/pwl0BdaVxY

— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) November 12, 2020

Weaknesses

One of the biggest weaknesses of RCB in the last few years has been their bowling. This year, the bowlers showed a marked improvement. Rather, it was the bowling that was more influential in RCB winning games, and they even helped them get close in the games their batsmen failed. The core group of Yuzvendra Chahal, Navdeep Saini, Chris Morris, Washington Sundar and Mohammed Siraj did exceedingly well. Siraj, who had a poor last season, showed improvement as he picked up 11 wickets in 9 games. While they were hampered by injuries in the final games, this core group along with Adam Zampa and Isuru Udana gives them enough variety and quality to be confident in the forthcoming season.

The biggest weakness this year, in general, was RCB’s batting. We will discuss a few aspects regarding the batting.

Firstly, Aaron Finch’s disastrous season turned out to be a huge weakness. Finch was brought in to add firepower at the top of the order but was unable to do so. He managed to score 268 runs in 12 games, but his SR of 111 hurt them the most. Finch’s failure led to all the responsibility falling on Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers’ shoulders once again.

Together through the highs and lows. It’s been a great journey for us as a unit. Yes things did not go our way but proud of the whole group. Thank you to all our fans for your support. Your love makes us stronger. See you all soon. #PlayBold @RCBTweets ❤️ pic.twitter.com/jIULXT0DLz

— Virat Kohli (@imVkohli) November 6, 2020

Due to the early wicket, and lack of firepower in the lower middle order, Kohli and de Villiers had to take a cautious approach in the middle overs. Unfortunately, they played over cautiously which cost the team some easy runs against weaker bowlers in that phase. They were the only team who scored at less than 7 runs in that phase. They played with a template instead of the match situation. Kohli not being at his fluent best made it worse, as whenever he tried to accelerate, he couldn’t as easily as he is known to. Their batting misfiring, initially in parts and then collectively during the latter halves cost them immensely.

RCB also failed to utilise their resources to the fullest. They grossly underutilised Moeen Ali who could have been the perfect middle-order batsman for them. On slower wickets, they opted for out and out fast bowlers, instead of someone like Udana who could bowl the variations well. These small things eventually led them to lose all momentum when things didn’t go their way.

What next?

All said and done, RCB will be happy with this season. Yes, they suffered 5 losses on the trot, but they played good enough cricket prior to that to still make it to the playoffs. They now have a solid core of players who they can rely on going into the next season. They should try and look for a lower-middle order like Shakib al Hasan who can bat at 5-6, give AB and Kohli the cushion they are missing, along with 4 guaranteed overs.

They would also want to make a call on Finch the opener. They could make Kohli the permanent opener with Finch coming in at 4 as he did for Gujarat Lions a few years ago. One dependable overseas bowler, who can either partner Morris or be a decent backup is also necessary. They definitely have fewer holes to fill as compared to last year. If they can do these couple of things, RCB could be a strong contender next year.