Royal Challengers Bangalore – Indian Premier League 5 – Team Assessment
Arguably the most flamboyant outfit, Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered arguably the most defying last-over, ball, or weekend heartache when they surrendered to lowly Deccan Chargers to finish joint on points with Chennai Super Kings. However, a slightly inferior net-run rate cost them dearly and they ended up fifth on the points table.
With the option of retaining Chris Gayle, the Challengers had no second thoughts and bought him on the cheap. It allowed them to strengthen their bowling department, bringing in Vinay Kumar at a whopping $1million, which was justified at that time considering they did not want to tinker too much with their overseas combinations. Muttiah Muralitharan was also recruited and the team was ready to conquer the IPL after falling agonizingly short the previous season.
Top Players
It has to be one man – Gayle. The Windies dynamite finished as the top-run getter and the orange cap holder - scoring over 700 runs with a remarkable strike rate of 160.74, including seven-half centuries and an unbeaten 128.
After having a relatively slow start to the campaign, he simply exploded into action and remained the mainstay of the lineup throughout. His barrages left his opponents with no cover, seemingly toying with every bowler with overwhelming ease.
His partner in crime was AB de Villiers. The South African helped his side to snatch victories from jaws of defeat, highlights being some cliché wins against Pune Warriors and Deccan Chargers. He finished the season with 319 runs with a strike rate bettering Gayle, 161.11.
The bowlers had an indifferent campaign. Vinay Kumar always struggled in the death overs despite claiming 19 wickets. His economy rate of 8.59 was among the highest in the league and ultimately cost the team a couple of matches.
However, it was a sight to see Muttiah Muralitharan perform. The retired Sri Lankan was head and shoulders above his pal and ended with impressive tally of 15 wickets, and an impeccable economy of 6.5.
Disappointment and Joy
Not finishing in the top four in itself is a disappointment for a franchise loaded with flamboyance. However, the miseries were compounded with the underperforming of Virat Kohli, and to a lesser extent, Vinay Kumar.
With the Indian bowlers failing to find the right groove, it left added pressure on original skipper Daniel Vettori to leave himself out of the team, in order to accommodate Muralitharan. With no genuine all-rounder, either local or overseas, they entered the final games with a policy of playing five bowlers, which ultimately backfired in the final game against Chargers where they failed to cope with Dale Steyn.
However, the team was always going to share most of the limelight owing to their star-studded formation. Gayle’s five consecutive sixes off Rahul Sharma, de Villiers’ confrontation with Steyn remain among the few prominent moments for the side.
Final Assessment
While their team possesses some of the best in the business, it will be a wise option to spend some money on a prized Indian all-rounder, (although not are many around). However, their next season task will be to finish among the top two and for once fill the bill of expectation.
With Kohli admitting that the current season has been the toughest, time might be running out for the Bangalore giants. “It feels very bad (failing to qualify for playoffs) but as a tournament the IPL has been brilliant this year, I think six-seven teams were on 16-17 points each. It's been really competitive and it's good the more competitive it gets, as it brings out more quality from the players," said Kohli.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are solely of the author and do not represent Bettor.com's official editorial policy.
Tags: