Come 19th of this month, Indian players will be seen resuming competitive cricket after a long hiatus. The net sessions have begun, social media conversations are multiplying, and the broadcaster build-ups are ramping up. Unprecedented circumstances have resulted in matches being played in empty stadiums and would be remarkably interesting to see how crowd-puller teams/players react. This is in addition to the mental fatigue of isolation and pressures of competing within a bubble for over a month and half. Tough characters or marquee players in the teams would be required to drive the rest, in addition to executing skills on the field. No bigger character in Indian cricket at the moment than Virat Kohli to demonstrate how it can be done. He has been leading one of the more popular IPL teams – Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for a while now and would be keen to have a go at the trophy one more time.
RCB is the third major team other than Delhi Capitals (DC)
(previously Delhi Daredevils – DD) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) to not have won
the IPL trophy. After qualifying for the last 4 in two consecutive seasons
(2015, 2016), RCB have had 3 successive forgettable campaigns. RCB has consistently
impressed in tournament previews and bolstered a strong batting group on paper,
but somehow the expectations and results have not converged frequently. Could
season 13 turn out to be lucky for RCB? May be! Some reasons to imagine so.
Neutral Conditions
For most IPL teams, scouting in the domestic circuit and big
auction calls are based on maximising home advantage. This season teams will
learn and adapt to new home conditions as the tournament progresses rather than
having prior knowledge. This is particularly relevant for teams which have had
poor conversion rates at home; in 58 matches at M. Chinnaswamy stadium, RCB has
won 29 and lost 27. Although the dynamics and core of the team has changed
significantly ever since, RCB played the finals the last time a full season of
IPL (2009) was conducted outside India. In the brief portion of previous season
(2014) played in UAE, RCB won 2 and lost 3. However, with the league being
organised on a short notice this year, teams which thrive on home advantage
will be at par with the rest.
Kohli Factor
Kohli has been RCB’s long-term skipper and probably the
longest serving captain in IPL to not have won the trophy. Given the success of
his peers, it would be an understatement to say that Kohli would be under some
pressure to deliver as the leader. His batting form has been sublime over the
last few years and will foreseeably be RCB’s pivot this season as well. A lot
of RCB’s fortunes have depended on how the big names have fared, and IPL-2020
should not be any different. As we have seen in recent years for India, the
Kohli factor is highly influential and RCB would be hoping for the A-game on
both fronts.
Complementary Skills
RCB has usually been a batting powerhouse with weaker
bowling attacks. In the auctions held in December 2019, RCB picked Aaron Finch
as a top-order option, but invested big in all-rounders and bowlers (Chris
Morris, Isuru Udana, Dale Steyn, Shahbaz Ahmed, Pavan Deshpande, Kane Richardson
– replaced with Adam Zampa). These players complement the core of the retained squad,
and some of them have had successful stints with other franchisees.
Fresh Coaching Staff
After the end of the season in 2019, the RCB management made
two notable appointments to the coaching staff. Mike Hesson was made the
Director of Cricket Operations and Simon Katich as the Head Coach. Mike Hesson
is highly regarded for his role in New Zealand’s success in white-ball cricket
for a long period. His man-management skills have been lauded by players and
peers. Although Simon Katich does not have a rich coaching experience, he was a
successful, contemporary international cricketer and has had a brief stint with
Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) as assistant coach. A common feature for both is
the calm body language, which could be highly beneficial for a season seemingly
enduring; mentally and emotionally.
Dark Horse
In the preceding 12 seasons, RCB has made the final 4 on five
occasions and ended up as the runners-up thrice. Call it nerves or pure
coincidence, but the lack of conversions on such instances has imprinted the
perception of underdogs or lesser fancied team to RCB. However, the team has
excelled when the expectations have been lowered or they have been pushed
against the wall. In the final 6 matches last season (2019), when the team was on
thin ice, they won 4 and lost just 1; and ended up with just one point
separating them from the 4th qualifier. Although opposition teams would
not want to write RCB off at any stage of the competition, RCB can look to cash
in on any potential complacency in the opponent based on recent history.
IPL is a long tournament, and the positions on the table
fluctuate continuously. With the big break, most players would be rusty, and
teams will take a while to gel and perform cohesively. An early target for most
teams would be securing the qualifier spot and taking it from there. The RCB team
management would like to believe they have the team for the conditions – top
order batting might, range of spin options, skiddy fast bowlers, to make early
inroads when everybody else is settling down. The law of averages must catch up
with RCB at some point, and Kohli & co. would be hoping IPL-2020 might just
end up being season when the shackles are broken!
Comments
Post a Comment