• Updated on

RCB in IPL 2024: Team preview, full squad, predicted XI and impact players for Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB in IPL 2024: Team preview

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) is one of the few teams that are yet to get their hands on the Indian Premier League (IPL). Despite boasting of some of the best players in the business, including Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Mitchell Starc, Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, Yuzvendra Chahal, Glenn Maxwell and others, the team has failed to somehow live up to the expectations.

In 2009, 2011 and 2016, RCB played in the finals of the IPL, but lost to Deccan Chargers, Chennai Super Kings, and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively. Against the Sunrisers, they had a chance to lift the title in front of their home crowd at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, but they faltered at the finishing hurdle.

MI in IPL 2024: Team preview  

Virat Kohli scored over 970 runs that season and racked up 4 centuries. However, his superhuman efforts were not enough for the Challengers to win the title. In most seasons, RCB showed immense promise, but stuttered in crunch moments.

Last season, RCB failed to go through to the playoffs after they finished sixth in the table with 14 points and a net run rate of +0.135 thanks to wins in seven out of 14 matches. Although they are yet to win the IPL, expectations will be high from them without a doubt.

RCB
Photo by Icon Sport

Prior to the auction that took place last year in December, RCB released Kedar Jadhav, Siddharth Kaul, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav, Wayne Parnell, David Willey, Michael Bracewell, Finn Allen, Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga.

In the auction, they bought Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh and Saurav Chauhan. It now remains to be seen if RCB can turn their fortunes around and get their hands on the trophy.

Full RCB squad for IPL 2024

RCB well all out in the action to include some pacers in their lineup. They shelled out INR 11.50 crore for West Indies’ Alzarri Joseph, who was earlier a part of Gujarat Titans. Among Indians, the Challengers bought left-armer Yash Dayal for INR 5 crore after the pacer played two seasons for the Titans. Curran and New Zealand’s Ferguson also add a lot of value to the RCB lineup.

RCB squad

Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Suyash Prabhudessai, Saurav Chauhan, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Manoj Bhandage, Tom Curran, Swapnil Singh, Will Jacks, Cameron Green, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Karn Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mayank Dagar.

Strengths

  • Powerful top and middle order

Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis form a power-packed opening pair. Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green add strength to their middle order.

  • Quality overseas fast bowlers

Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph are quality pacers. Reece Topley adds the X-factor to their XI being a left-arm fast bowler. Tom Curran can also fox batters with his clever change of pace.

  • Cameron Green’s all-round prowess

Cameron Green adds a lot of value to the RCB lineup as he is one of the skilled all-rounders in men’s cricket. Not only can he strike the ball a long distance, but bowl handy medium pace.

Weaknesses

  • Dinesh Karthik’s backup wicketkeeper

Dinesh Karthik is a specialist wicketkeeper, but RCB lack a quality replacement if the veteran sustains an injury.

  • Lack of quality spinners

After Chahal left RCB, the team roped in Wanindu Hasaranga. But with Hasaranga now being released, the Challengers do not have a strong spin attack. Karn Sharma is their most experienced spinner

  • Inexperienced Indian pace contingent

Apart from Mohammed Siraj, the rest of the Indian pacers in the RCB do not have a whole lot of experience. Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, however, have loads of talent.  

RCB Predicted XI

1. Faf du Plessis

2. Virat Kohli

3. Rajat Patidar

4. Glenn Maxwell

5. Cameron Green

6. Dinesh Karthik

7. Mahipal Lomror

8. Alzarri Joseph  

9. Mohammed Siraj

10.  Karn Sharma

11.  Akash Deep

Impact player options for RCB

Lockie Ferguson can be a decent option as an Impact Player. The Kiwis speedster has troubled a lot of batters with his genuine pace. Having also played quite a bit in India, he has learned the art of bowling on pitches in the subcontinent. If one of the bowlers have an off day, Ferguson can add back the required firepower.

The likes of Suyash Prabhudessai, Anuj Rawat and Mahipal Lomror are also handy options as Impact Players and can be used effectively.

Season prediction

Given the strength of their team every season, it seems like they have the potential to go all the way. But every time, they kept falling short. This year, chances are remote for them as they do not have the firepower needed to win an IPL title.

Over the years, the RCB batters have always performed well and put their team in a position of command. However, it is their bowling unit that has struggled and conceded big totals to their opponents. This season, the RCB bowlers are going to find it tough yet another time.

RCB do have a strong batting lineup, but their batters will again be under pressure to put up big totals on the board and give their bowlers runs to work with.

A batting lineup that has the likes of Kohli, Maxwell, Du Plessis, Karthik, Patidar, Green and others can demolish the best bowling lineups on its day. But whether their bowlers can handle the pressure, especially while defending targets remains to be seen.

Playing at the venue in Bengaluru can be tough for bowlers as runs tend to flow and targets of over 200 can also be chased down. Hence, this might again be the year when RCB have to return empty-handed.

Virat Kohli has stayed with the franchise since the inaugural season back in 2008. He might have to wait at least a year more to get his dream of winning an IPL trophy fulfilled.

RohitRohit

Rohit is an experienced cricket writer based in India

Related Posts