Royal Challengers Bangalore, one of the most hyped teams in the Indian Premier League, has been unable to set the stage on fire, constantly erring in team selections and tactics. While they have two of the most feared batsman in the game in their side – Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, the rest of the batting line-up, including the opening pair, has been inconsistent far too often.
Last season it was Parthiv Patel who opened the innings with skipper Kohli, but it appears that the franchise is once again confused about their top-order batsman, as another opener in their ranks Devdutt Padikkal has been in stunning form in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy. Padikkal is the leading run-scorer in the competition, with 461 runs with the held of a ton and four fifties.
Recently, RCB took to social media and asked fans to choose between Patel and Padikkal as their opener for next season. But, they came up with a match situation, asking the fans who they would prefer as the opener alongside Kohli if the franchise was chasing 240 runs.
“We have to chase a target of 240. Virat has come out at the non-striker’s end. Who will you pick to open the batting for us? #PlayBold” was the caption.
Patel came up with a tongue-in-cheek comment and hilariously questioned why the side wants the bowlers to concede as many as 239 runs in a game.
“Why do you want us to give away 239 runs” he questioned.
The Gujarat keeper was one of the bright stars in an otherwise dismal campaign for RCB last season as he ended with 373 runs. RCB lost seven matches on the trot in 2019 and won just 5 of their 14 games to end with the wooden spoon.
The side have released all their foreign players except de Villiers and Moeen Ali before the IPL 2020 auctions that will take place in Kolkata on December 19. The side will be focused on bringing on board a threatening bowling attack that can perform as per expectations on the flat Chinnaswamy Stadium, the home ground of RCB.
Sans Yuzvendra Chahal, no bowler from the side has consistently risen his hand up, and it is fair to say that the bowling has been the side’s biggest Achilles Heel over the last few seasons.