IPL 2023: Royal Challengers Bangalore Season Review – Just short of Playoffs
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s pursuit of a maiden IPL trophy ended in heartbreak once again after the Bangalore-based franchise failed to make it to the playoffs of IPL 2023. Faf du Plessis men were knocked out of the tournament after a damaging defeat to defending champions Gujarat Titans in their last outing.
The Bangalore-based outfit, who had managed to qualify for the playoffs in the previous three seasons, fell agonisingly short to see rivals Mumbai Indians secure their passage after an intense battle for the last remaining spot in the top four of the points table.
Faf du Plessis’ men started the campaign with a victory against five-time champions Mumbai Indians, winning a total of seven matches and losing the same in this year’s edition to finish with 14 points in the sixth position.
What went right?
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s star opening pair of Virat Kohli and skipper Faf du Plessis fired on all cylinders this season. The duo ended with the most runs scored by a pair while batting together in a single season of the IPL. While du Plessis finished as the leading run-scorer for the side, Kohli ended the tournament with two consecutive centuries.
While the top order shone with the bat, star Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj did the damage with the ball in hand. The aggressive fast bowler was relentless with the new ball in the powerplay and was one of the best fast bowlers of this year’s edition.
What went wrong?
Last year’s breakthrough star Rajat Patidar’s absence was a big blow for RCB as none of the other Indian batters apart from Virat Kohli were consistent enough with the bat.
Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik also had a shocking tournament after the highs of last year. Siraj also did not get much support from the other pacers as the likes of Wayne Parnell and Josh Hazlewood weren’t consistent enough with the ball.
Highest run-getter- Faf du Plessis scored 730 runs for his side in 14 outings, averaging 56.15 and striking the ball at 153.68 with eight half-centuries to his name.
Highest wicket-taker- Mohammed Siraj ended the tournament with 19 wickets to his name in 14 matches. He averaged 19.73 with the ball conceding less than eight runs per over.
RCB’s most memorable moment in the tournament came when they thumped last year’s finalists Rajasthan Royals in a swashbuckling display by the bowlers. The RCB pacers made a mockery of the Royals, dismissing them for just 59 runs, the third-lowest in the competition’s history.
