Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis’ incredible batting form has put Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) among the favourites for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 trophy. Kohli has smashed 279 runs from the opening slot at a strike rate of 141.62, while Faf holds the Orange Cap with 405 runs in seven matches at a strike rate of 165.30.
IPL 2023: Full coverage | Points table | Schedule | Results | Orange Cap | Purple Cap
Add to this the form of Glenn Maxwell. The Australia all-rounder has accumulated 253 runs at a strike rate of 188.80 from seven matches. All three have together made 12 half-centuries this season.
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RCB are fifth in the points table midway through the season with four wins, eight points and three defeats. Bangalore have been part of IPL since 2008 but haven’t won the trophy even once.
Looking at Kohli, Du Plessis and Maxwell’s form it’s obvious that RCB fans are hopeful that the team can finally end the trophy drought in 2023 but there’s a problem here. And that is the dependency on the top-three batters with others struggling to contribute.
Apart from Kohli, Du Plessis and Maxwell, the next-best batter in the team is Dinesh Karthik who has managed just 61 runs in seven innings. DK last season scored 330 runs in 16 matches at a strike rate of 183.33, helping the side close crucial games as RCB reached Qualifier 2.
After Karthik, the next best is Mahipal Lomror with 41 runs in four innings. Shahbaz Ahmed has 40 in as many innings.
The franchise may not have missed Rajat Patidar so far because of the form of the top-three batters but his absence has left a big hole in RCB’s batting lineup which has been compounded by Karthik’s lack of form.
Rajat was the find for RCB last season as he scored 333 runs in just eight matches at a strike rate of 152.75 including a century.
No batter in RCB’s lineup has so far stood up to fill in for the 29-year-old’s absence who is out with an Achilles Heel injury.
At the halfway mark in IPL 2023 and the race for the top-four heating up, RCB cannot afford so many middle-order batters being out of form.
Kohli, Faf and Maxwell have won them the matches so far, but there’s no guarantee they will click together in every game. The same didn’t happen in two of their three defeats.
Against Kolkata Knight Riders, who they face again on Wednesday, the trio scored 49 as RCB suffered an 81-run defeat chasing 205.
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Against Chennai Super Kings, Faf and Maxwell hit fifties but Kohli scored six and other batters failed to chip in as RCB lost by eight runs chasing 227.
RCB desperately need Karthik, Lomror, Shahbaz and Suyash Prabhudessai to start pitching in.
In Mohammed Siraj, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga, they have good overall bowling lineup, the same can’t be said about the batting.
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