IPL 2019: What RCB, DD and KXIP need to win their first IPL title

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Virat Kolhi and Ashish Nehra

RCB have always had a solid team, yet they are devoid of their first IPL win. They have two of the very best batsman in world cricket and have yet struggled in more ways than one. So what is so horribly wrong with this team that has prevented them from a successful season.

One of the major problems that has plagued this franchise is the lack of openers. The release of Chris Gayle and KL Rahul last year left a huge void that no one could fill. This also meant that Kohli had to open for his team. Hence, this year the focus has to be on building a strong foundation starting from the openers.

RCB would be smart to place their bids on Aaron Finch. The Australian T20 captain is having a great year in T20s so far scoring 1349 runs at an average of 49.96 with 3 centuries to his name. Everyone knows what he is capable of and Bangalore’s small ground could help elevate his form.

For the past few years, RCB have put a lot of pressure on AB de Villiers. This is due to the fact that RCB don’t have anyone who can rescue the innings should de Villiers fail. Hence, having a great number 5 batsman like Shemron Hetmyer could solve this problem allowing de Villiers to play freely. We all witnessed what this young West Indian batsman can do in their recently concluded series against India, and I’m sure that the RCB skipper also took notice of his talent.

While they are known for having a destructive top order, they are also known for having the worst bowling lineup in the IPL. But you can’t really blame the bowlers because the Chinnaswamy stadium is just too small to contain any batsman. If that’s the case, what type of bowlers should RCB target?

Should they go for fast bowlers or medium pacers? Targeting bowlers who can consistently vary their pace like Mohit Sharma and James Faulkner seem to be a wise decision given Bangalore's pitch conditions. Mohit has had success in the depth bowling for Chennai SuperKings. He is known for his pace variation which the RCB team are desperately in need of. Faulkner is another player who could play a pivotal role for RCB. He has had massive success when playing at the Chinnaswamy stadium and could contribute with the bat at the lower order.

The Australian all-rounder has a lot of variations to his name including a mean back of the hand delivery that has seen him dismiss many batsmen in the past. He (Faulkner) may be the missing piece that they (RCB) need to finally lift their first IPL trophy.