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Faf Du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore's (RCB) dream of lifting the IPL 2024 trophy seems to be fading fast. Despite a pre-season name change and a star-studded squad featuring Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Faf du Plessis, Cameron Green, and Mohammed Siraj, RCB finds itself precariously close to playoff elimination.
Their batting woes are a major concern. The responsibility has largely fallen on Virat Kohli at the top and Dinesh Karthik as the finisher, while captain Faf du Plessis hasn't found consistent form. Adding to their troubles, the much-anticipated contributions from Australian all-rounders Maxwell and Green haven't materialised. Both batsmen have been disappointing, with their performances declining with each match. RCB's struggles in IPL 2024 continue, and their path to the playoffs appears increasingly narrow. Despite a star-studded squad, a pre-season name change, and 17 years in the league, they languish at the bottom of the points table with just 1 win in 8 matches.
Their bowling woes are a recurring nightmare. Big-money buys like Alzarri Joseph (INR 11.5 crore) haven't delivered, managing only 1 wicket in 3 matches with a high economy rate. The other overseas pacers, Reece Topley and Lockie Ferguson, haven't fared much better. Even their lead pacer, Mohammed Siraj, has struggled, leaking runs and picking up only 5 wickets in 7 matches.
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Aaron Finch tears into RCB's flop show in IPL 2024
This collective bowling failure has left RCB precariously close to elimination. Even winning all remaining matches isn't a guarantee, as they'd need favorable results from other teams as well.
Adding to the criticism, former RCB star and 2021 T20 World Cup-winning captain Aaron Finch pinpointed a crucial error at the auction table. He believes RCB's lack of a world-class spinner to exploit Indian pitches has been a major problem for Faf du Plessis and the team's overall performance.
"I think there have been a couple of reasons, hasn't gone well, and I think it does start off with the auction table when you put so much emphasis on your batting group and doesn't leave a huge amount of room for your bowling. The lack of world-class spinner I guess it's something and proven in the game against KKR, Sunil Narine is a world-class operator and he's somebody who gets the job done day in day out. It's just that lack of a spinner there to be relied on consistently," Aaron Finch replied to Hindustan Times' query on Star Sports Press Room.
Aaron Finch, the former Australian captain and IPL veteran, didn't hold back his criticism of RCB's season. He piled on after pointing out the lack of a quality spinner, taking aim at their utilization of another big acquisition - Cameron Green.
Finch questioned RCB's decision to bat Green in the middle order, despite spending a significant amount on him via a pre-auction trade. According to Finch, Green's skillset is best utilised at the top of the order, where he can exploit the powerplay overs. This criticism suggests Finch believes RCB is misusing a key player and failing to maximize his potential.
"I think they have got some issues with playing players out of position at times, I mean Cameron Green to trade for him for such a big price, for such a big percentage of a salary cap, to then bat him in the middle-order where is not as comfortable as batting at the top is is a real strange move. You're asking a guy to do a job which he is not comfortable with from the start so you're not setting him up for the ultimate success in my opinion," Finch added.
Aaron Finch's critique of RCB wasn't limited to their bowling and Green's placement. He also acknowledged another crucial factor in their struggles: the underwhelming performance of Glenn Maxwell.
Finch highlighted the collective failure of several RCB match-winners, including Maxwell. These big names haven't lived up to expectations, leaving RCB's campaign in a precarious position.
"And then obviously Maxi (Maxwell) hasn't gone going either which hurts. When you're looking at match-winners and pure impact on the match and Maxi hasn't quite done that this tournament," he concluded.
RCB will next face Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad on April 25. Notably, this is a rematch of the season's highest-scoring game so far, where SRH blasted a record-breaking 287/3. Though RCB put up a valiant chase with 262/7, they fell short by 25 runs.
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