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One of the Indian Premier League's (IPL) largest franchises, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), has reached the IPL final three times (2009, 2011, and 2016) but surprisingly they are yet to lift the title. Despite great players in the form of Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, and Chris Gayle, the inability of the team to convert talent into titles has come as a cause of surprise among fans and critics alike. The causes of this drought are problems in team balance, bowling weaknesses, and high-pressure failure which have deprived them of the championship.
Inconsistent bowling unit is also one of the main reasons behind the struggles of RCB. Unlike Mumbai Indians (MI) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK) who have one of the best death bowlers like Jasprit bumrah, Malinga and Bravo who keeps the perfect strength for the start of their team's innings.
In 2009 final: Anil Kumble took 4/16, but the rest of the attack leaked heavily and presented Deccan Chargers with 143 to chase.
In 2016 season: They had Yuzvendra Chahal and Shane Watson, and their death-over economy rate was more than 11, one of the worst in the league.
2023 season: RCB's death bowling, led by Harshal Patel and Josh Hazlewood, weren't able to manage well as they gave 12+ runs per over in key matches.
RCB excessively rely on their Star-Top-order batsmen, while Kohli and De villiars have given the match winning performances the middle order of the team usually collapsed under pressure.
For example, in the 2016 final, the RCB could not chase 208 and were only able to secure 200, Chris Gyle and Kohli, being their Star performers, did their best by scoring more than half of the target but the middle and lower order collapsed and resulted in losing the trophy.
A good team needs well management but in RCB's case it has been misjudged, means like they have been focusing more on star players rather than balanced squads.
Ignoring All-Rounders: RCB rarely invested in all-rounders until Glenn Maxwell's arrival at 2021.
Lacking Domestic Core: Mostly they hired oversees players and ignored the Indian core which weakened their flexiility.
In contrast to CSK (Dhoni) and MI (Rohit), RCB has not had long-term captaincy stability:
IPL 2008-09 Seasons: Rahul Dravid (released after a single season)
IPL 2009-11: Anil Kumble (retired)
IPL 2011-21: Virat Kohli (no title victories)
IPL 2022: Faf du Plessis (yet to find balance)
RCB's tale is one of brilliance and disappointment. Despite their passionate supporters and marquee players, which fuel hope, the franchise must mend systemic flaws in order to break the title curse. Recent moves to beef up their bowling (i.e., bringing in Lockie Ferguson) and groom young guns speak of a shift in strategy. However, until RCB builds a cohesive, balanced squad capable of thriving under pressure, their quest for the elusive IPL trophy will remain unfinished.
