The IPL eliminator match on May 22 was between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals at Narendra Modi Stadium, Gujarat. Everyone was very hopeful that RCB might do something better this time to get their first IPL trophy. But “ee sala cup namde” did not happen. They lost the match by 4 wickets to Rajasthan, and their journey ends here.
At first, RCB did not start well; they were at the bottom of the points table. After playing 8 matches, only 1 match was won and 7 matches were lost, leaving them with only 2 points. It seemed all over when everyone thought that RCB would not be able to go to the playoffs this year. That’s when the RCB team worked hard and won 6 matches in a row to get the opportunity to go to the playoff eliminator. According to RCB coach Andy Flower, “We didn’t set a good run target, we had the toss factor.” We did not bowl well in the Rajasthan match; we should have bowled well in the middle overs and death overs. There was a lack of good pace bowlers to bowl at that time.
Who is the one bowler you'd like RCB to sign at the next auction? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/OFnSlLpNbf
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For RCB, the opening pair Virat Kohli scored 33 runs off 24 balls and captain Faf du Plessis scored 17 runs off 14 balls. Cameron Green and Rajat Patidar had a great partnership. Maxwell was dismissed for 0 after Green was dismissed for 27 runs. Rajat Patidar scored the most runs for the team with 34 runs off 22 balls. Mahipal Lomror gave an excellent finishing touch with 32 runs off 17 balls, and the total run for the team was 172 runs. In bowling, Abesh Khan was the best bowler in the playoff eliminator and took 3 wickets. Ashwin took 2 valuable wickets. The rest of the bowlers—Boult, Sandeep Sharma, and Chahal—took 1 wicket each.
Rajasthan played well and chased the run, winning the match by 4 wickets. The opening pair performed well, with Jaiswal scoring 45 runs in 30 balls and Cadmore scoring 20 runs in 15 balls. Captain Sanju Samson scored 17 runs off 13 balls, and Ryan Parag played a winning knock, scoring 36 runs off 26 balls. As a super sub, he scored 26 runs off 14 balls, and finally, Rovman Powell played 8 balls and scored 16 runs to win the match. Among the RCB bowlers, Siraj took 2 wickets, while Lockie Ferguson, Cameron Green, and Karn Sharma took 1 wicket each. Rajasthan won the eliminator and will play the qualifier-II next match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Coach Flower also said that the toss has been a big factor; fielding in the second innings was very stressful for us. Rajasthan bowlers bowled very well, using the dimensions of the field. They bowled at the right time in the middle overs, death overs, and took wickets at crucial moments. Credit should also be given to the Rajasthan batsmen who played according to that plan. Our boys also played well but couldn’t finish. The runs were very low, and the bowling was a bit of a problem. The fielding was excellent, but we were behind the opponent.
Our 2022 to 2024 season went very well; we went to the playoffs 2 out of 3 times. This is a big achievement. But our bowlers have conceded many runs; in 2 seasons our bowlers have conceded 5227 runs. That is the second-highest runs conceded. At home, we have lost 7 matches in two seasons. This season we have conceded 1850 runs at home ground at Chinnaswamy Stadium, which is second this season, with the most runs conceded at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. We could not chase even after scoring big runs, which is a failure of our bowlers. We needed some skilled bowlers. We will have to take that into account next year when the big auction is held.
Our first requirement next year will be skilled bowlers. Fast bowler or spin bowler doesn’t matter to us; skilled bowlers matter to us. We want to take those who are currently playing, especially in T20s and doing well in the short format. We need bowlers who will perform well at Chinnaswamy Stadium. We also require some power hitters in batting who can turn the match at any time, who can start well, increase the run rate, and finish well.
Flower said, “But if we talk about Maxwell, I will say that he is such a big-name star but this season he has performed terribly; we cannot expect this from him. He has scored only 52 runs in 9 matches, with a batting average above 5, and the highest score in this IPL is only 28 runs.” Such a big star, we took him in the team for his good finishing ability and spin bowling to take some wickets, but he failed completely. I don’t understand what the problem is; he is not in his form at all. He had a terrible season, and we also had a bad season with him. Now let’s see how he performs as a member of the Australian team in the T20 World Cup ahead. Maxwell could be an issue there if he doesn’t perform well.
We didn’t have a good first half of the season, and the next 10 weeks we had to struggle. At that time, team captain Faf du Plessis and experienced batsman Virat Kohli took a lot of responsibility. They always motivated everyone to do well and encouraged everyone to perform better. So we made it this far in the playoffs. They are massive role models for everyone. They led the team well from the front. Both of them started the opening well. Virat Kohli scored the most runs until IPL 2024, and he is the orange cap holder. His aggression in the matches on the field gives the team an extra edge. Kohli, a senior player, has always kept the dressing room environment positive, pointing out what is wrong and showing everyone how to do better. He still has the same skills and hunger. The way he is playing will bode well for India in this T20 World Cup. He already has an incredible record, but he is not stopping there; he is playing for bigger achievements and trying very hard.