The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) finished with 22 players in their squad after the two-day Indian Premier League (IPL) mega auction last week. The RCB, who had already retained former captain Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj, added stars like Faf du Plessis, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, and Josh Hazlewood among others on their roster.
The RCB are yet to lift an IPL title and the franchise will aim to end their disappointing streak under a new captain when they take the field in IPL 2022; however, former Kolkata Knight Riders and India opener Aakash Chopra has pointed out a glaring weakness in the side that could potentially hurt the side this season.
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Chopra said that RCB can face issues with their team combination – specifically in the lower-middle order and the bowling lineup.
“It's the lower-middle order again. They've bought Sherfane Rutherford, if they manage to play him, it's fine. If they don't, it could be an issue. Faf will open with Kohli, Maxwell will come at 3; the question is who will bat at 4?” Chopra said while analyzing the RCB squad on his official YouTube channel.
“Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahamad, and Mahipal Lomror -- these are the players you have to choose from. Does that give you confidence? I don't think it does and that's my problem. So you will have to play Sherfane Rutherford.”
{{/usCountry}}“Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Shahbaz Ahamad, and Mahipal Lomror -- these are the players you have to choose from. Does that give you confidence? I don't think it does and that's my problem. So you will have to play Sherfane Rutherford.”
{{/usCountry}}However, the former Indian opener also pointed out that the inclusion of Rutherford could dent RCB's bowling lineup due to four overseas player rule.
“At the same time, if you play Rutherford, you cannot play Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood together which is another problem with this team. If Hazlewood isn't there, you have Siraj, Harshal, and Shahbaz. Among Indian spinners, you don't have big names. You can play Karn Sharma, but you need to have Hasaranga in the XI,” said Chopra.
“Hazlewood and Behrendorff are fine but if you can't play them, the bowling looks a bit weak. If you try to make your middle order robust, your bowling will hamper. If you strengthen your bowling, batting will become weak.”