IPL 2021: 3 current RCB players who struggled during the 2020 edition in the UAE

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) broke a streak of nightmarish Indian Premier League (IPL) seasons in the 2020 edition, where they reached the playoffs. Although they lost to the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator, Virat Kohli's men gave a good account of themselves in the UAE.

RCB largely scraped through on the back of stellar individual performances, with very few players coming up with consistently brilliant showings. Yuzvendra Chahal, AB de Villiers and Devdutt Padikkal kept the franchise afloat, but most of the others blew hot and cold throughout the season in difficult conditions for T20 cricket.

Here are three current RCB players who struggled during the 2020 IPL season in the UAE.

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#3 Navdeep Saini - 6 wickets in 13 IPL 2020 matches

Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Navdeep Saini

Navdeep Saini is now completely out of favor with the RCB team management, having made only one appearance in IPL 2021. The downward slide started in the 2020 season, where he finished with just six wickets in 13 matches at an economy rate of 8.29.

Saini had just started making waves in international cricket with his raw pace and aggression, and he seemed primed for a breakthrough season. But barring an excellent Super Over against the Mumbai Indians, the 28-year-old didn't impress consistently enough as he was taken for a few in almost every game.

Saini may not play a big role for RCB in IPL 2021, with pacers like Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson shining in the first half of this year's tournament.

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#2 Virat Kohli - 466 runs in 15 IPL 2020 matches

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli

It might seem ludicrous to suggest that a man who scored 466 runs in 15 matches at an average of 42.36 "struggled," but Virat Kohli has set such high standards for himself that anything short of batting perfection seems inadequate.

Kohli's strike rate was a mediocre 121.35 and he often failed to find the timing that has made him one of the greatest batsmen of all time. With Padikkal's strike rate at the other end not too high either, RCB often needed middle-order heroics from the likes of De Villiers to take them to fighting totals or chase down daunting targets.

Kohli's captaincy also came under the scanner in IPL 2020 as he made a series of bizarre tactical moves, such as sending Washington Sundar and Shivam Dube ahead of De Villiers in a game against the Punjab Kings.

While Kohli's leadership has been impeccable in the recent past with the Indian Test team, his batting doesn't seem to have rounded a corner yet, although he isn't really out of form. It remains to be seen what the second phase of IPL 2021 schedule holds for the RCB skipper.

Check out purple cap in IPL 2021 here.

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#1 Mohammed Siraj - 11 wickets in 9 IPL 2020 matches

Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Mohammed Siraj

Mohammed Siraj has evolved into one of the key cogs of RCB's bowling attack and has led the pacers exceptionally well this season. Providing key breakthroughs up front and hitting yorkers at the death, the pacer is well on his way to becoming a quality all-format bowler.

But the 2020 IPL season saw Siraj finish with just 11 wickets in nine games at an economy rate of 8.68. The numbers might be a touch misleading since he bowled with pace and came up with some crucial wickets, including a record-breaking opening spell against the Kolkata Knight Riders.

But he wasn't as good as RCB would've wanted him to be, and certainly not as good as he is now. Siraj was taken apart by KL Rahul in a game against the Punjab Kings and was guilty of being too one-dimensional at times.

Siraj is a much improved bowler now, though, and will be one of RCB's most important players in the UAE during the second phase of IPL 2021.