Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered their seventh defeat in eight matches in the Indian Premier League 2024, falling narrowly by one run to Kolkata Knight Riders. The story remains consistent for RCB, with conceding plenty of runs becoming a recurring pattern as they gave away 222 runs against KKR, following their record-setting 287 runs conceded to Sunrisers Hyderabad in the previous match. The introduction of the Impact Player rule, combined with factors like smaller boundaries and a flat pitch at M Chinnaswamy Stadium, has posed challenges for RCB, which they have struggled to address, unlike some other teams in the tournament. Bowling-wise, they remain the weakest team in the tournament, due in part to some puzzling decision-making at the auction table.
Hoping to achieve the perfect balance for IPL 2024, RCB spent a total of Rs 20.20 crore on players like Alzarri Joseph (Rs 11.50 crore), Yash Dayal (Rs 5 crore), Tom Curran (Rs 1.5 crore), Lockie Ferguson (Rs 2 crore), and Swapnil Singh (Rs 20 lakh) at the mini-auction, in addition to retaining Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, and Karn Sharma among other notable names in the squad. RCB, though, failed to replace Wanindu Hasaranga, who had 26 wickets in IPL 2022, after releasing him following a mediocre 2023 season where he only managed 9 wickets in 8 games. After IPL 2021, despite Yuzvendra Chahal’s impressive record of 57 wickets in the last three seasons for the franchise, RCB chose not to bid for him again in the auction. In his last two seasons with Rajasthan Royals, Chahal achieved 48 wickets and has claimed 12 in the current season. RCB have yet to fill that void in their squad.
Statistically, Cameron Green emerges as RCB’s most economical bowler with a rate of 9.23, placing him 40th in the ongoing tournament. Following him are Karn Sharma with 9.50 (46th), Yash Dayal with 9.81 (52nd), Mayank Dagar with 10.14 (58th), Mohammed Siraj with 10.34 (61st), and Vijaykumar Vyshak with 10.81 (64th), among others. Their 11.50 crore acquisition, Joseph, ranks 77th with an economy rate of 11.89. KKR’s aggressive start against RCB bowlers, particularly Phil Salt’s swift batting, was no surprise. While RCB had a strategy to challenge Narine with the bat, they struggled against Salt as KKR crossed the 50-run mark in the fourth over.
On Sunday, out of five RCB bowlers, Siraj, Dayal, and Ferguson conceded runs at 10 or more—an exact total of 143 runs in 12 overs, resulting in 4 dismissals. For KKR, only Mitchell Starc (3 overs) and Suyash Sharma (2 overs) conceded significant runs, while the other five attempted to stem the run flow. Ultimately, one run made the difference in the game, leaving RCB once again contemplating their fragile bowling attack.
In IPL 2024, RCB ranks as the weakest bowling team in the powerplay, conceding runs at a rate of 10.79 with just seven wickets in eight games. During this phase, they have conceded 52 boundaries and 30 sixes, with batters enjoying an average strike rate of 172.22—an aggregate of 518 runs in 288 deliveries. In the middle overs, they are second worst after Mumbai Indians (10.64), with an economy rate of 10.08—giving away 802 runs in 477 deliveries with 20 wickets taken. In the death overs, RCB ranks second worst behind Delhi Capitals (14.39), with an economy rate of 13.05, conceding 296 runs in 136 balls and taking seven wickets. RCB has underperformed in all three phases of the IPL season.
Earlier in the season, after Mumbai Indians chased down a 197-run target with 27 balls to spare, RCB captain Faf du Plessis candidly admitted that their bowling attack lacks “as many weapons.
“At the moment, it feels like, from a batting perspective, we have to push for 220 to have a chance,” du Plessis said after RCB’s defeat against MI. “From a bowling perspective, we don’t have as many weapons. So unfortunately, it comes down to the batters to ensure that we capitalize on our form and confidence. The scores we put on the board will likely be our primary means of staying competitive.”
Watching RCB play is akin to how Chelsea go about their business—a collection of top names on the field but lacking cohesiveness and execution as a unit. RCB focused on assembling a batting-heavy lineup while neglecting the backbone of the team—the bowling department. However, looking ahead to the next mega auction, the Bengaluru franchise should prioritise building a well-rounded team over chasing big names. They can take a cue from what Bhuvneshwar Kumar said after SRH’s game against Delhi Capitals: “Bowling is what wins you matches. I don’t know who said this, but ‘batting wins you sponsorships and bowling wins you championships.’ That’s very well said.”