Royal Challengers Bangalore probably have the most loyal fan base in the entire Indian Premier League. To see your team get so close to the trophy so many times and then choke at the very last moment requires a lot of courage. Over the years, fans have complained that RCB have failed to accumulate a decent bowling lineup. Thus, this year, RCB’s focus was to acquire some decent bowlers. Having established a good bowling lineup this year, could RCB break their 15-year streak?
Royal Challengers Bangalore squad for IPL 2023:
| Player | Role |
| Faf du Plessis | Batter (Captain) (F) |
| Virat Kohli | Batter |
| Finn Allen | Batter (F) |
| Anuj Rawat | Wicketkeeper |
| Avinash Singh | Fast Bowler |
| Manoj Bhandage | Batter/Fast Bowler |
| Michael Bracewell | Batter/Off Spin (F) |
| Wanindu Hasaranga | Leg Spin/Batter (F) |
| Josh Hazlewood | Fast Bowler (F) |
| Dinesh Karthik | Wicketkeeper |
| Siddharth Kaul | Fast Bowler |
| Mahipal Lomror | Batter/Slow Left Arm |
| Glenn Maxwell | Batter/Off Spin (F) |
| Mohammad Siraj | Fast Bowler |
| Harshal Patel | Fast Bowler |
| Suyash Prabhudessai | Batter/Fast Bowler |
| Rajan Kumar | Fast Bowler |
| Shahbaz Ahmed | Slow Left Arm/Batter |
| Himanshu Sharma | Leg Spin |
| Karn Sharma | Leg Spin |
| Sonu Yadav | Batter/Fast Bowler |
| Reece Topley | Fast Bowler (F) |
| David Willey | Fast Bowler/Batter (F) |
| Will Jacks | Batter (Withdrawn) (F) |
| Rajat Patidar | Batter |
*F = Foreign Player
Strengths of Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2023:
RCB have a really strong core. The likes of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, and Harshal Patel carry loads and loads of experience behind them. RCB’s batting order is very strong, with the right amount of anchors and heavy hitters. Faf and Kohli will set up a good start at the top of the order, and Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik can capitalize on that in the middle overs.
The bowling unit looks pretty sorted too. Siraj, Harshal, Hasaranga, Hazlewood, David Willey, etc are all quality bowlers and performed pretty well the last season as well. For a long time, RCB have struggled in forming a decent bowling attack but this year, it looks more complete than ever.
Weaknesses of Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2023:
RCB’s roster this season is short on all-rounders. The team does have batting all-rounders and bowling all-rounders, but they cannot be expected to perform the same with the bat and the ball. This creates a certain lack of balance in the team, where the team will struggle for the 6th bowler, or decent batters lower down the order.
Moreover, there is a lack of good wicketkeepers in the team, other than Dinesh Karthik. If Karthik gets injured during the tournament, the team’s balance would be faltered. Apart from the initial playing 11, the bench strength looks rather weak. RCB may have a hard time regulating their players overall.
Opportunities for Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2023:
The franchise always enters the tournament with really high hopes and leaves the fans disappointed. This year, the franchise has everything to gain. They should not think about anything else and just focus on playing their best cricket.
Moreover, this could be a good opportunity for Virat Kohli and Mohammad Siraj to get good practice ahead of the World Cup. Faf du Plessis is also missing out on international action. The IPL could function as an informal audition for him for a career redemption.
Threats for Royal Challengers Bangalore for IPL 2023:
Over the years, RCB have grown into the “chokers” tag. Despite having some of the best stars, the franchise has still not been able to win the cup. This raises the question what RCB do wrong every year. RCB will have to fight this tag and have to come up with a way to beat all the odds against them.
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