IPL 2019: 3 things Royal Challengers Bangalore must do to revive their season

When IPL 2019 started, Royal Challengers Bangalore fans were very optimistic about their chances of winning the tournament this year but what has followed in the first four matches has been the same old story for RCB and their supporters, as they have lost every single match, with their latest defeat coming at the hands of the Rajasthan Royals.

The main problem here is the manner of those defeats, as barring the match against Mumbai Indians, RCB have been outplayed in every single match. There are a lot of problems at RCB as not one batsman in their middle order looks in good nick and their bowling hasn't been great too.

Virat Kohli has a lot of problems to deal with, starting with the team combinations. So, keeping all that in mind, here are the 3 things that RCB must do to revive their already faltering season.

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#3 Get the opening combination sorted

Virat Kohli ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20 /BCCI)

This has been RCB'S biggest problem since Chris Gayle left the franchise as they just haven't found a strong and trusted opening combination to stick with. This year also, they have tried many different combinations and the RCB team management just can't seem to get it right.

They have played three different opening combinations in the four matches that they have played in this year's IPL. Virat Kohli and Parthiv Patel have been tried two times, while Patel has also opened with Shimron Hetmyer and Moeen Ali.

What is constant is that Parthiv is going to open the batting but they just can't seem to find a worthy opening partner for him. Right now, the Indian skipper and the best batsman in the world, Kohli looks to be the safest bet at the top of the order. RCB just have to get this right as openers always set the tone for an innings.

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#2 Fit Nathan Coulter-Nile into the playing XI

Nathan Coulter-Nile in his KKR days ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20/BCCI)

Another problem of RCB that they have been trying to deal with for years is their bowling, as barring Yuzvendra Chahal, nobody in their bowling lineup seems to be a wicket-taker and that is where Nathan Coulter-Nile can come in.

The lanky Australian can add that little bit of spark to the RCB pace battery and he is a genuine wicket-taker. Coulter-Nile has enjoyed a brilliant year in international cricket with Australia and he has enough experience in this format to do the job for Kohli and his men.

How to fit him into the RCB XI is Kohli's job, but it is clear that he may have to sacrifice either Moeen Ali or Shimron Hetmyer and personally, I think Moeen should be replaced by the Australian. Also, the Australian is capable of striking the long ball and his batting attributes may come handy in the slog overs.

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#1 Play Washington Sundar and Pawan Negi together in the playing XI

Washington Sundar ( Image Courtesy: IPLT20 /BCCI)

So far in this year's IPL, Kohli and the RCB have preferred Moeen over Washington Sundar and that decision just doesn't make any sense as Sundar has done nothing wrong to be dropped from the XI. Also, having Sundar makes RCB look more balanced as Coulter-Nile can then replace Moeen Ali and that will make their bowling lineup look much stronger.

One argument that can be made is that Moeen is a better batsman than Sundar and having the latter may hamper RCB'S batting strength, and that is where Pawan Negi comes in. Negi can replace Mohammed Siraj from the XI as Siraj hasn't looked great with the ball so far.

Negi is a brilliant asset to have as he can bat in the slog overs and he can also give Kohli a few overs with the ball. Also, he is a brilliant fielder and someone like him can save a lot of runs on the field.

At the end of the day, it's all about getting that right balance in the playing XI and RCB just haven't managed to do that, and the sooner they get the team combination right, the better it will be for their chances of making it to the playoffs.

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