RCB IPL 2023 Preview: Three-time finalists, playoffs in last season, Royal Challengers Bangalore have done a lot of good things in their history of IPL but have never managed to win the title. They were always seen as a team of star-studded batters who failed to fire in unison to help the team’s cause. Things, however, have been on the rise since Mike Hesson joined the team as the Director of Cricket in 2019.
RCB: Everything you need to know about them
After failing for three straight years, RCB have reached the playoffs in all of the last three seasons. Hesson, who is also the head coach now, has focussed on getting the balance right and adding the right all-rounders and bowlers, and the strategy is bearing fruit.
Will it be enough to win the title this year?
RCB have fairly the same squad as last year. Pacer Reece Topley and all-rounder Will Jacks were the only high-profile buys in the mini-auction, but Jacks is out of IPL 2023 with an injury and has been replaced by Michael Bracewell.
With almost the same squad and playing XI, it’s difficult to see how RCB can do much better than last season. Unless the players improve drastically in 2023.
Captain Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli were the openers last season but both failed miserably. Du Plessis got 468 runs but minus a few games didn’t score consistently.
Kohli managed just 341 runs with the highest strike rate among the two for the season being 128. Openers are the most important batters in T20 cricket and RCB will hope for better returns from the duo this season which could easily be the deciding factor.
Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik provided good support last season and if they can replicate their form, RCB should not have much to worry about. But if they don’t, there’s not much depth in the squad.
Wanindu Hasaranga is their MVP. The Sri Lankan can score some useful runs and would once again be fighting to be the mainstay of the team’s bowling.
Josh Hazlewood is set to miss at least seven matches due to an Achilles issue and that is a big blow for RCB, but Mohammed Siraj’s return to form could help them compensate for it. Harshal Patel’s control on his bowling and in death overs is going to be equally crucial.
To fire successfully as a unit, bowlers will, however, also need support from Maxwell and Ahmed.
All in all, RCB have good players for their playing XI but most will need to repeat last year’s performance, while some will need to improve to push Bangalore to the top.
Past performances
Strongest XI
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj
Squad
Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Michael Bracewell, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav.
Schedule
2 April: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Mumbai Indians, Bengaluru
6 April: Kolkata Knight Riders vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Kolkata
10 April: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Lucknow Super Giants, Bengaluru
15 April: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Delhi Capitals, Bengaluru
17 April: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings, Bengaluru
20 April: Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mohali
23 April: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, Bengaluru
26 April: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Kolkata Knight Riders, Bengaluru
1 May: Lucknow Super Giants vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Lucknow
6 May: Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Delhi
9 May: Mumbai Indians vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Mumbai
14 May: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Jaipur
18 May: Sunrisers Hyderabad vs Royal Challengers Bangalore, Hyderabad
21 May: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans, Bengaluru
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