IPL 2022 | Ee Sala Cup Namde - The roar gets louder

Royal Challengers Bangalore had a decent season last time around as they finished third in the league stage under the leadership of Virat Kohli. In the previous edition of the toughest twenty, RCB had a well-balanced unit and, for the first time, didn't look over-reliant on their big-name superstars. 

In the upcoming edition of the league, the Bangalore based franchise will feature a lot of new faces, they will have a new skipper in Faf du Plessis, and with the great man AB de Villiers retired, they will have to rely on new faces. RCB is searching for its maiden IPL title, and with many new faces, the same old journey is about to kick start. They lost a few of their star players in Yuzvendra Chahal and Devdutt Padikkal but still have a team that can fight for the title.

Strongest Playing XI 

Anuj Rawat, Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood.

Flaws

Overreliance on the trio of Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell. The entire batting lineup of Bangalore will depend on the three superstars who can win you games on their day, but when things don't go right, it does cause a lot of trouble. The Royal Challengers fans have seen it in the past when they were dependent on one of Kohli, ABD or Gayle to win them games. 

Lack of a proper, consistent finisher in the lower middle order. Dinesh Karthik is in the lower middle order as their finisher, but he is well past his prime, and Mahipal Lomror hasn't proved his mettle in the toughest twenty.

X-Factor

While all the limelight will be on the trio of du Plessis, Kohli and Maxwell, their real X-factor can be Wanindu Hasaranga. He is one of those players who can turn the franchise's fortunes. The all-rounder will provide balance to their team, and his ability with the ball in the shortest format will be critical if RCB is to win the title this time around. The Sri Lankan spinner has an average of less than 14 and an economy of less than 6.5 in T20 Internationals, which suggests that he could be the man on the Royal Challengers.

Analysis

On paper, RCB have always had those big names, and it has always been about how the others around the superstars perform. The Bangalore-based franchise will depend on their star-studded players, but if the likes around them fire, this team is good enough to go into the playoffs. The key to their success will be their lower middle order which consists of Lomror, DK, and Hasaranga. If the three fire, then Bangalore will have a season to remember.