It was a heartbreak once again for the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023. For 16 long seasons, RCB haven’t seen the shadow of an IPL trophy even!
Despite having some formidable players in their ranks, RCB have flattered to deceive in the IPL. Earlier, RCB had qualified for the playoffs for 3 continuous seasons and they were all set to qualify even this time.
But a narrow loss at the hands of the defending champions Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 70 of the ongoing IPL saw them get knocked out of IPL 2023.
In this article, we take a look at 5 reasons why RCB couldn’t qualify for the playoffs in IPL 2023:
1. Over dependence on Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis
RCB were heavily reliant on the duo of Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis in the entirety of IPL. The two batters scored the bulk of the runs for the team and it was this very reason why RCB faltered towards the end.
The individual brilliance of two batters can win a team matches but they cannot win an entire season. While Faf Du Plessis scored 730 runs at an average of 56.15, Virat Kohli mustered 639 runs at an average of 53.25.
2. Dinesh Karthik’s failure with the bat
As highlighted by skipper Faf Du Plessis in the aftermath of the RCB vs GT game, the role of a finisher is very important in T20 games. RCB lacked that firepower in the back end of the innings and that costed them several games.
Having scored 330 runs in IPL 2022, Karthik was touted to single-handedly finish games for Bangalore. But he had a disappointing IPL 2023 season and finished with only 140 runs at a paltry average of 11.67.
3. RCB’s spinners not being effective
Having picked 26 wickets in 16 matches in IPL 2022, Wanindu Hasaranga was expected to once again deliver the goods with the ball for RCB. But he couldn’t get his rhythm right in IPL 2023 and took only 9 wickets in 8 games.
Shahbaz Ahmed had a disastrous IPL 2023 season and managed to pick up only 1 wicket in 10 games. Karn Sharma blew hot and cold in the season and took 10 wickets in 7 games. The lack of match-winning performances from RCB spinners costed RCB the game.
4. No consistency in the middle-order
A big grey area for RCB in IPL 2023 was their misfiring middle-order. Despite strong starts, RCB failed to go to good scores because of the lack of good performances from their middle-order batters.
The likes of Mahipal Lomror, Suyash Prabhudessai and Anuj Rawat didn’t have a standout season and this in turn added a lot of pressure on Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Faf Du Plessis.
5. RCB’s disappointing pace bowling
The only positive for RCB in the pace bowling department was Mohammad Siraj. The 29-year-old pacer bagged 19 wickets in 14 games and had a good economy of 7.52. But the other bowlers in the form of Harshal Patel and Vijaykumar Vyshak were taken to the cleaners by the opposition batters!
Another reason why RCB couldn’t qualify for the playoffs in this edition of the IPL.
Also read: 3 Reasons Why Rohit Sharma Can Have A Good WTC Final
