IPL 2018: 3 key players who are the main reason behind RCB's failure

The Royal Challengers Bangalore are struggling in the current edition of the IPL. They are seventh in the IPL standings with 3 wins from 10 games so far. Should they have any aspirations of making it to the playoffs, they are going to have to win all their matches from here on and hope for several other results to go in their favour as well.

One reason in particular, for their failure, is the team selection in the 2018 auction. They failed to buy a recognised domestic batsman to support Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. In addition, they simply do not possess a proper death bowling specialist in their ranks.

Players like Quinton de Kock, Sarfaraz Khan, and Corey Anderson failed to perform well throughout the season. But, what hurts them the most is the performances of their marquee signings.

On that note, let’s take a look at the 3 key players who attributed to their downfall this season.

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#3 Washington Sundar

Washington Sundar (left) has struggled for form this season

A lot was expected from Washington Sundar this season following his scintillating performances in the Nidahas T20 trophy just weeks before the start of IPL 2018.

He was their third most expensive Indian player after Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav. He also was RCB's only recognised Indian all-rounder in the squad. Royal Challengers Bangalore paid a hefty Rs 3.2 crores for his signature in the 2018 auction.

However, Sundar failed to produce goods in IPL this season. He picked up only four wickets in seven games at a poor economy rate of 9.60. Also, his exploits with the bat weren’t great either. He has scored only 65 runs so far this season. His failure with both the ball and ball has left a huge gap in Royal Challengers Bangalore lineup.

#2 Brendon McCullum

McCullum struggled to give good starts to RCB's innings this season

McCullum is one of the most successful overseas batsmen in the history of IPL. Bangalore bought him for a huge Rs 3.6 crores in the 2018 auction because of his T20 experience. McCullum has played 335 T20 games in his career and scored more than 9000 runs.

The Kiwi opening batsman has played in all the 10 editions of the tournament before 2018 and has scored 2881 runs in 109 games at an average of 28.

However, 2018 is turning out to be a nightmare for the New Zealander. McCullum has played 6 games so far in IPL 2018 and scored 127 runs at an average of 21. He is yet to make a match-winning contribution for RCB this season.

Though he had few good starts, he failed to convert them into big scores. He struggled to adapt to conditions and was rightly dropped from the team after a series of poor scores.

#1 Chris Woakes

Woakes struggled to stop batsman from scoring in IPL 2018

The English all-rounder had an exceptional 2017 IPL campaign. Woakes picked up 17 wickets last season at an economy rate of 8.77 for Kolkata Knight Riders. He was phenomenal for England over the last 12 months in the limited overs format.

He was RCB’s most expensive signing in the 2018 auction. Bought for a whopping Rs 7.4 crores, the 29-year-old failed to deliver for his new franchise.

In five appearances so far this season, Woakes has picked up a total of eight wickets. He leaked a lot of runs and went for an economy rate of 10.36. He was poor in the death overs and allowed batsmen to dominate his bowling. After a string of disappointing bowling performances, he was replaced by Tim Southee in the playing XI.