RCB entered the IPL auction with just seven slots available and a purse of 8.75 crores. Will Jacks (3.2 crores) and Reece Topley (1.9 crores) were their most significant overseas acquisitions.
Reece Topley is now their seam bowling backup for Josh Hazlewood. Will Jacks can play for any of the overseas batters, depending on whether they are available and how they are playing?
A look at the RCB team for the IPL 2023:
Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey, Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Haz
This appears to be a respectable T20 team on paper. They seem to have the right amount of experience and youth. In preparation for IPL 2023, we conduct a SWOT analysis of the RCB team in this article.
Strengths
The core group at RCB is very solid. They have consistently been good enough to reach the playoffs over the past three seasons. Availability concerns aside, Bangalore has a good mix of spin and pace hitters.
They also have a lot of depth in the batting; players like Hasaranga, Harshal, and Shahbaz are multifaceted T20 cricketers. The depth of their bowling is also impressive.
Mohammad Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, and Harshal Patel make up a strong pace bowling unit for them. Reece Topley, David Willey, and Siddharth Kaul, who serve as their backups, are also performing admirably. Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Shahbaz Ahmed make a strong spin-bowling core, with Karn Sharma serving as a reserve.
Weaknesses
RCB doesn’t have a hitter that can go after from ball 1. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis take their time to settle in the middle. Although Finn Allen has the ability to solve the problem, he lacks the experience necessary to be a first-choice player ahead of the current core.
Additionally, they lack a good option for number 5. It is likely that Mahipal Lomror and Suyash Prabhudessai will compete for the position. Even though Dinesh Karthik returned to the Indian team after a stellar season, there was little reason to celebrate.
In Chinnaswamy, where the Challengers will play their home games, their bowling is also untested. If Hasaranga does not perform to the best of his abilities, it may be felt that Yuzvendra Chahal is not there.
Mohammad Siraj’s structure in the last time of the IPL was a concern for RCB. He will have to step up as the Indian fast bowler of choice for the Bangalore-based franchise as the team will now play seven games at home.
Opportunities
Virat Kohli declared his re-visitation of structure in T20 cricket at the Asia Cup and T20 World Cup – scoring 700 runs in 16 innings at a normal of 70 and a strike rate of 142.
He played match-winning knocks and was extremely consistent, the most notable of which was an 82* against Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. If RCB makes the playoffs next season, his performance will be extremely important.
RCB’s Rajat Patidar was the team’s best batter during the most recent IPL season. One of the franchise’s most memorable tournament moments was his century in the eliminator. He will want to make the most of the upcoming season and try to convince people that he should be on the national T20 team.
Threats
The injury to Glenn Maxwell might be a serious threat to RCB. He was unfortunate to sustain a leg injury on his birthday, which prevented him from participating in any form of cricket for at least three months.
Due to commitments on the international stage, Sri Lanka’s all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga is also likely to miss the first few games. He is their primary spin-bowling option, so the franchise’s absence will undoubtedly be cause for concern.