IPL 2020: 3 things Royal Challengers Bangalore can do to improve their performance next season

Since the inception of the Indian Premier League in 2008, the Royal Challengers Bangalore have undergone a variety of tweaks including staff, captain, jersey and logo. But what has remained constant is the abundance of talent in their squad.

RCB have some of the best batsmen in the world in the form of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, along with a talented roster of up and comers such as Washington Sundar, Shimron Hetmyer and Navdeep Saini. That's not to mention the presence of potential match-winning bowlers such as Yuzvendra Chahal and Umesh Yadav, who are great assets even for the national side.

Yet the Royal Challengers keep coming up short, sometimes by big margins and sometimes by a strand of hair. They still find themselves searching for that elusive trophy, and they need to change something to get there.

Here are three ways the outfit can improve their side and potentially break their duck in IPL 2020.

1) Getting death bowlers with a proven track record in T20s

Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins lead the Australian bowling attack

RCB put up a total of 205/3 against KKR in Match 17 of IPL 2019, which by most standards is quite a formidable score. It seemed even easier to defend when KKR found themselves needing 53 in just 18 balls.

But RCB ended up leaking 53 runs in not three but just two overs, and a similar pattern ensued for the rest of the tournament.

Death bowling has been RCB's Achilles heel for the past three seasons. They have invested in talents such as Tymal Mills (bought for INR 12 crore in 2017 and released after one season) for death bowling duties as well as useful yet inconsistent bowlers such as Umesh Yadav and Mohommad Siraj, but the problem still persists.

Their confidence in Tim Southee also turned out to be misplaced as the pacer conceded runs at an economy of 13 in IPL 2019.

The addition of one or two experienced and proven bowlers who can show composure at the death would help RCB convert their close games into wins. Which bowlers can they target in this regard?

Pat Cummins and Mitchell Starc are proven death overs specialists with tremendous wicket-taking ability. Cummins boasts an economy of 6.99 in T20Is with an average of 21.24. Starc, meanwhile, is coming in on a string of great performances in the ICC Cricket World Cup 2019 with 27 wickets in 10 matches.

These two are not tied to any IPL side right now, and would be valuable buys for the Royal Challengers.

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2) Purchase of experienced middle-order batsmen

Root averaged 61.77 in the CWC 2019

It's fascinating to see that the 5th highest run-scorer at the ICC Cricket World Cup this year doesn't even find himself on an IPL team. Joe Root slammed 556 runs including two centuries and three half-centuries in high-pressure moments, and that's not to mention he has the second-highest ODI average in the world at 51.36.

Although Root is deemed to be an ODI and Test specialist by many, he has an unmatched ability to rotate the strike, absorb pressure, get boundaries at crucial moments and get big scores consistently - which are all important skills in the IPL. And these qualities are lacking in RCB's star-studded batting lineup.

The team finds itself relying way too heavily on Virat Kohli and AB De Villiers. And if or when they get out, the side shows a tendency to crumble.

Having a seasoned batsman such as Root coming in at No. 3 or No. 4 will help the side get high scores even from bad situations and can establish the Royal Challengers as serious contenders.

Root could well turn out to be like Jonny Bairstow, whose abilities were underestimated in the lead-up to last year's auction despite a great track record. Similar yet riskier options in this regard include Avishka Fernando, Eoin Morgan and Ross Taylor.

3) Providing more opportunities to the youngsters in the squad

Shivam Dube received limited opportunities in IPL 2019

RCB shelled out INR 5 crore for Shivam Dube in the IPL auction last year, but played him in only four games. Now four games may seem like a decent amount to some, but Dube faced just 33 balls in those as he found himself coming to the crease either at the death or when the side was in a terrible situation.

Dube's exploits in the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy have earned him a spot in the national side for the upcoming series against Bangladesh. He's an exciting prospect, and if the Royal Challengers groom him like the Mumbai Indians groomed Hardik Pandya, he could win a lot of games for the team in the future.

Another player who faced a similar identical situation in last year's IPL is Shimron Hetmyer. He too played just four games at first and then was dropped for the next nine. He came back in the side's last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad and scored a match-winning half-century.

If RCB can nurture his talent well, we may be looking at one of the more impactful T20 players in the future.

RCB have in the past that they can groom young players well, with notable examples like Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal and Virat Kohli himself. If their investment in their crop of young talent pays off, RCB will be a force to be reckoned with - not only for the coming year but also for future editions.