Former Indian opener and Delhi Capitals (then Delhi Daredevils) Virender Sehwag has lashed out at the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) batters for a horrendous batting display at home against Punjab Kings (PBKS). Sehwag said that RCB batters lacked common sense as one of them should have stayed till the end.
“RCB batted poorly. All of them played reckless shots to get out. Not a single batter was out to a good ball. At least one batter should’ve used common sense. If they had wickets in hand, they could have reached 110 or 120 in 14 overs, which would have given them a chance to fight,” Sehwag told Cricbuzz.
Eight RCB batters registered single-digit scores. They dropped Devdutt Padikkal but had to introduced Manoj Bhandage as impact player who failed to make the most of opportunity. They were reduced to 42/7 in the ninth over. Had it not been for Tim David's blazing fifty, there was a chance they would've been bowled out for their lowest score. David helped them post 95/9.
This was RCB's third consecutive defeat at home. They are yet to register a win at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. Sehwag believes that RCB batters have disappointed their bowlers at home. He asked captain Rajat Patidar to deal with the recurring issue.
“There is difference between getting wickets and earning wickets. Patidar has to think and come up with a solution. They have not been winning at home. Their bowlers are doing well but why are their batters faltering regularly? It’s not alright if your batters continuously fail at home. Who is going to rectify that?," he added.
Patidar on batting failure and dropping Padikkal
After the defeat, Patidar revealed that he benched Padikkal due to the conditions.
"Initially it was sticking and two paced, but we could have done far better as a batting unit. Partnerships are important, we have lost wickets in quick intervals and that's a big lesson for us. We've had to make that change due to conditions," Patidar said in the post-match presentation.
RCB have a quick turnaround as they will now fly to Chandigarh to take on PBKS in their next away match scheduled to be played on April 20.