IPL 2022: Kohli, Du Plessis, Maxwell headline RCB’s lackluster batting line-up

“Ee sala cup namde” (this time around the cup is ours). We believe every cricket fan in the country have heard of this slogan, while some make fun and for many this has been a symbol of hope after every heart-breaking campaign.

As we head into the next edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL), which starts from March 26, it will be yet another test for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) to get their hands on the coveted Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy. The franchise will definitely enter the competition with refreshed confidence, but the uphill task gets more difficult this time around with star campaigner AB de Villiers missing from their ranks.

In his absence, the franchise has handed the job to another former Proteas cricketer Faf du Plessis, who is also the leader of the pack. He will find the much-needed assistance from previous skipper Virat Kohli and star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell.

But apart from the trio does RCB have more firepower? In this piece we take a look at the SWOT analysis of the team…

Despite having some of the biggest names, it is very hard to determine, what is the strength of the Bangalore-based franchise. The team appear average on both fronts – batting and bowling – but it’s the availability of Kohli, Maxwell, and Du Plessis himself that makes the top-order look slightly challenging.

While Du Plessis has been a solid performer it will be interesting to see who will partner him at the top. Kohli, on the other hand, will surely look to storm back to form before the T20 World Cup and there could not be any good opportunity as this.

Maxwell, on the other hand, could prove to be the team’s biggest strength, owing to his all-round abilities that is perfect for the format.

Weakness

RCB’s weakness is their lack of depth in batting. Apart from the trio no other name in the squad has witnessed much success, so the onus will be on them to shape the RCB batting strategy and lead them into big totals.

One player who could make the most dividends will be wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik. The 36-year-old was bought by the franchise for ₹5.5 crore in the mega auctions and in all likelihood he’ll be playing the anchor role in the middle-order. He will also bring a lot of experience to the side, having represented the country and other squads in numerous matches.

RCB have not been one of the best bowling unit, despite Harshal Patel finishing as the leading wicket-taker in the previous edition. However, this time the team have tried to fill in the chinks with best possible options in both Indian and overseas talent.

The seam department will be taken care by Josh Hazlewood, a natural match-winner, and the Aussie pacer will find the perfect support from Mohammed Siraj and Patel.

In the slow bowling department, RCB have Mahipal Lomror among others, but one player to watch out for will definitely be Wanindu Hasaranga. The franchise had spent a whopping ₹10.75 crore to get hold of the Sri Lankan international, who has been a good contributor in both the departments of the game.

RCB squad:

Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Faf du Plessis, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma and Siddarth Kaul

With Thanks Refrence: https://www.hindustantimes.com/cricket/ipl-2022-royal-challengers-bangalore-team-analysis-virat-kohli-glenn-maxwell-faf-du-plessis-wanindu-hasaranga-dinesh-karthik-101648126854064.html