IPL 2024: When it comes to the most loyal fans and most loved franchise, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is the first name that comes to mind. The franchise with the biggest names of cricket in their squad still has a null in the trophy cabinet. In this post, we analyze the performance of RCB in the previous three seasons to predict their position this season.
Making their debut in the inaugural season of the Indian Premier League, RCB have played in the three finals but are yet to lift the title once. They have been through the highs and lows of the tournament in different categories throughout the 16 seasons of the IPL.
IPL 2021: RCB Reached Eliminator
On the back of the playoff qualification in the previous season, RCB started the 2021 season with consecutive 4 big wins. They even got an 181-run opening stand to defeat Rajasthan Royal by 10 wickets. Led by Virat Kohli, RCB won 5 of their first 6 matches but in the next eight, they lost half of them.
They ended the group stage with 9 wins and 5 losses to stand third in the points table. They played the Eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders where they lost by 4 wickets following the Sunil Narine Show. The story of RCB in the 2021 season ended there but they got an excellent young talent in the form of Devdutt Padikal.
Points Table Standing- Third
Highest Run-scorer- Glenn Maxwell (513)
Most Wicket-taker- Harshal Patel (32)
Squad: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Ahmed, George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rajat Patidar, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Tim David, Sachin Baby, Pavan Deshpande, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Akash Deep
IPL 2022: RCB Played Qualifier
An even better year in terms of the level reached but it was disheartening as they were still far from the title. They got a loss in the opening match of their fixture but it was followed by five wins in the next six games. Winning 8 games in the league stage earned them the playoff ticket and they got the eliminator fixture against Lucknow Super Giants and won to proceed to Qualifier 2.
Rajasthan Royals were waiting for them at Qualifier 2. Not-out 106-run innings from Jos Buttler shattered the dreams of RCB fans as Rajasthan Royals defeated Royal Challengers Bangalore by 4 wickets.
Points Table Standing- Fourth
Highest Run-scorer- Faf Du Plessis (468)
Most Wicket-taker- Wanindu Hasaranga (26)
Squad: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj, Akash Deep, Aneeshwar Gautam, Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama V Milind, Jason Behrendorff, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Finn Allen, Siddarth Kaul
IPL 2023: Another Unsuccessful Year
An excellent year with the bat for RCB as both openers (Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis) found themselves in the top four for the most runs scored but bowling wasn’t up to the expectations. They won 7 matches off 14 which wasn’t enough for them to reach the playoffs.
Points Table Standing- Sixth
Highest Run-scorer- Faf du Plessis (730)
Most Wicket-taker- Mohammad Siraj (19)
Squad: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Michael Bracewell, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, Mohammed Siraj, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Himanshu Sharma, Sonu Yadav, Akash Deep, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karn Sharma, Kedar Jadhav, Siddarth Kaul, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh
IPL 2024: Can RCB get over the line?
Royal Challengers Bangalore are again considered one of the strongest squads and highly favorites for the title as they were in the past. Under the leadership of Faf du Plessis, the management did a good job on the auction table. They targeted bowling which was their weakest knot in the line-up and now by bagging Lockie Ferguson and Alzari Joseph. They also added Tom Curran and Yash Dayal and they are looking like a better side altogether.
The squad is once again packed with the prominent faces of international cricket and they are expected to end the league stage in the top three in the IPL Points table. There are high chances that RCB might lift the cup but if it does not happen, they would be the runner-ups. The pressure on the Men’s team would double this time as the Women’s team won the WPL title in the second season of the tournament.
With the explosive Glenn Maxwell and the exciting Cameron Green leading the way, RCB’s batting lineup is loaded with talent, led by the dynamic combo of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli. Rajat Patidar gives RCB’s middle order more depth, making them one of the strongest hitting combinations in the IPL 2024. Addition of world-class bowlers to their squad has made them even stronger as the whole squad.
Squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Cameron Green, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, and Swapnil Singh.
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