Before the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) season began, the Royal Challengers Bangalore changed their name to Royal Challengers Bengaluru, yet their fortunes remain unchanged. Once again, RCB's batting leans heavily on their star player, Virat Kohli, who has received little support from other batters, particularly the overseas players. RCB’s left-arm pacer Reece Topley is optimistic that the team's international batters, Faf Du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green will provide support to Virat in the forthcoming games.
RCB batters struggling to find form
RCB captain Faf Du Plessis, who tallied 730 runs last season, has yet to make a significant impact this year. Australian powerhouse Glenn Maxwell, known for changing the game's dynamics, has also underperformed this season. Australian fast-bowling all-rounder Cameron Green, acquired from Mumbai Indians (MI) for a substantial sum, has not lived up to expectations either. However, Virat Kohli currently leads in the race for the orange cap with 316 runs.
Speaking at the pre-match press conference, Reece Topley acknowledged the underperformance of the overseas batters, noting that only Virat has consistently scored runs.
"You can take away the fact that it is the overseas batters (only) and you can probably say, Virat, has had quite a load in the run-scoring department," Topley expressed.
Topley confident in RCB's ability to bounce back
Topley also mentioned that the season is far from over and the batters have ample opportunity to stage a comeback. He remains hopeful that RCB can still reach the finals despite three consecutive losses.
"The exciting part is that it's still relatively young into the tournament. There's a lot still to play for and what is exciting is that there's a lot of time to turn that around and still showcase how good we are," Topley opined.
"At the start of the season (the goal) is to qualify for the finals. To there's still an opportunity to do that, we're working hard to make that achievable," the RCB seamer added.
RCB is set to face the five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI) in their next match on April 11.
MORE ON SPORTS TAK:
Former business associates of MS Dhoni arrested for Rs 16 crore fraud; check more details here
