Lockie Ferguson vs Reece Topley - who can solve RCB's IPL 2024 problems?

It has only taken a handful of matches for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) bowling credentials to be questioned by fans and pundits alike in the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL). While the franchise's bowling attack has always been overshadowed by its imperious batting unit, this time around the disparity might just be a touch too staggering.

RCB's big-money signing, Alzarri Joseph, might be the most disappointing bowler of the lot. With Joseph's atrocious set of bowling figures to begin the season with, there might just be an overseas slot vacancy in the bowling department.

Joseph began his RCB career with figures of 0-38 off 3.4 overs in the season opener loss against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK). His first-ever outing at the Chinnaswamy began on a concerning note as he was among the most expensive bowlers on show, with Liam Livingstone's wicket proving to be a slight respite.

However, his most recent show in the humbling loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) might just have been the final straw. The right-arm pacer was only given two overs, of which he conceded 34 runs at an economy of 17, without a wicket in return.

With RCB returning to a familiar and worrying pattern, a change might be imminent, with the overseas pair of Reece Topley and Lockie Ferguson being the candidates.

On that note let us take a look at which bowler should RCB turn to in a bid to ease their bowling crisis.

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#1 Form

Lockie Ferguson has had a topsy-turvy IPL career, and has often struggled for momentum. However, despite his lack of interest in his services in the 2024 IPL mini-auction, there was an argument for him to start over Alzarri Joseph, purely considering the form with which he entered the tournament.

The New Zealand international has picked up at least a wicket in each of his last seven appearances in the shortest format. His most recent appearance resulted in figures of 4-12 against Australia, and he was also among the wickets in the series against Pakistan.

Reece Topley, on the other hand, had a solid SA20 campaign in Durban's Super Giants' run to the finals. The left-arm pacer picked up 13 wickets in 12 matches at an economy of 8.43, and enjoyed bowling on bounce-friendly wickets.

He had made a promising start to the previous IPL season, bowling two overs for 14 runs with a wicket in RCB's season opener, but was ruled out of the tournament due to a shoulder injury. The left-arm pacer also had a good tour of the Caribbean in late 2023, and is having a good run without any injuries, which have been the main source of his issues.

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#2 Skillset

Express pace is a double-edged sword at Chinnaswamy. On occasions, extra pace, and bowlers with extra height prove to be an advantage. With such bowlers getting the ball to rise from a length, batters have found the extra bounce quite hard to negotiate at times.

However, at certain times, the very same attribute proves to be the bowlers' downfall. Like for instance in RCB's most recent game at the Chinnaswamy, it was the bowlers that took the pace off that yielded success, and the genuine pacers were taken apart.

Based on this sole observation, Topley can be revered as the right option, or the safest option in accurate terms. Lockie Ferguson also has a say in the matter as he also has a mean cutter in his arsenal when his genuine searing pace does not work in the given conditions.

Reece Topley's biggest strength is with the new ball, and the same cannot be said for Lockie Ferguson. Both bowlers have quite different profiles, and it is up to RCB to decide which one meets their demands.

Topley, being a left-handed pacer, can bring the ball back into the right-hander and can extract bounce from the wicket with his height. Ferguson, on the other hand, has the extra pace with him being one of the fastest bowlers in the league, can operate in the middle and death overs, and can break partnerships for the side.

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#3 Bowling combination

RCB currently have two reliable Indian options with Mohammed Siraj and Yash Dayal, who have done reasonably well so far. Both have found early movement with the new ball, and considering the lack of Indian options on the bench, they are likely to get a long rope.

With two new ball bowlers, one of which is a left-handed candidate, Topley might seem surplus in the setup, but he is still an option.

However, one might argue that RCB need someone who brings a little control in the middle overs given RCB's rather ordinary spin department and Cameron Green not being a certified T20 bowler. It was an area that RCB struggled immensely in the previous season.

They will also need a candidate to support Vijaykumar Vyshak in the deathovers with Harshal Patel not there to take on the responsibiility, and the candidate that meets both demands is arguably Lockie Ferguson.

Although there is no right answer to this debate, it is all about fixing the biggest crack of them all in the crumbling structure, and by that basis Lockie Ferguson slightly outweighs Reece Topley to make it to the RCB playing XI.