IPL 2024: Fan favourite Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) is once again under the radar following a string of poor performances in the ongoing season of the IPL 2024. The Faf du Plessis-led side is currently languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2024 Points Table with a mere solitary victory this season in eight matches.
RCB’s recent loss came against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), who defeated them by a mere 1 run in the final ball of the innings. Despite the sublime efforts from Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar and Karn Sharma, who launched three sixes in the final over against Mitchell Starc, RCB fell 1 run shy of the win over KKR at the Eden Gardens.
Their top batters failed to perform in the game, and their bowlers had a regular off day at business.
The summary so far for RCB in the TATA IPL 2024 is that they have just a solitary win in eight outings. The Virat Kohli-starer side is languishing at the bottom of the Points Table with just two points and an abysmal net run rate as well.
As the IPL 2024 approaches the end of the first phase of the tournament, the path ahead is going to be challenging for the RCB, as they look to rectify the mistakes and win a few games from here on.
RCB still have six games on their plate, which can be used efficiently to bring their IPL 2024 campaign back on track. The road ahead is just a bed of roses, but a proper struggle. If going by the current scenario, it’s very unlikely for RCB to enter the top 4 spots.
Qualification Scenarios for RCB – Maximum 14 Points
The first-placed team – Rajasthan Royals – is already at 12 points and they will only require a couple of wins from here to seal their spot in the IPL 2024 playoffs. Kolkata Knight Riders and Sunrisers Hyderabad are also placed comfortably in the second and third place with 10 points each. A few wins from the remaining matches will seal a place to them for the playoffs.
The fight will be the fourth spot, which is currently held by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) with eight points. There is a slight chance here to slide and qualify for the IPL 2024 playoffs.
Even to reach the fourth spot, RCB will required to win most of their remaining six matches in the season. CSK is likely at four wins and they will very likely close on 6-7 wins at the end of the league stage, so RCB will require 7 wins at least to topple the yellow franchise at number four.
Moreover, winning games is not sufficient for the team in Blue and Red, they will also require big wins to improve their net run rate which has taken a huge blow. Their current net run rate after the fixture against KKR stands at -1.046.
RCB will reach 14 points maximum if they manage to win the remaining of their six games, which will take them to seven season wins. However, doing that will be a challenging task as their upcoming contests in the payback week are against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Gujarat Titans, Punjab Kings, Delhi Capitals and Chennai Super Kings.
Even a single loss from here on would result in RCB searching for the calculator and hoping that a few fixtures of other teams go their way, which certainly they do not want this season. As of now, they have control of the situation on their hands, but it could get worse if they lose in the upcoming games.
RCB’s next assignment in the IPL 2024 is against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. This is the same venue where SRH smashed MI’s bowling unit to a massive 277 runs in 20 overs. With such a vulnerable bowling line, RCB will find it hard to restrict the SRH batters, who are having a proper show in the IPL 2024.
