IPL 2021: "RCB reached playoffs comfortably because of their bowlers"

Gautam Gambhir heaped praise on RCB bowlers for putting in a collective effort to help the side comfortably reach the IPL playoffs this year. Harshal Patel has been the standout bowler this year and has picked up a whopping 30 wickets so far. He played a starring role for the Bangalore side in the bowling department.

Gautam Gambhir opined that RCB's batting has always been their strong suit. However, this year their bowling unit has complemented their batting unit well. Speaking on ESPNcricinfo, Gambhir previewed the RCB side ahead of their eliminator clash against KKR and said:

"RCB always had that big names in batting, but their bowling has been overshadowed by these big names like AB de Villiers, Maxwell, and Virat Kohli in the batting order. We should not talk only about their batting but should also speak about bowling as well. Historically, their batting has always been great."

He added:

"But this year, it is because of their bowling that they are sitting comfortably on 18 points after the league phase. Harshal Patel with Purple cap, Siraj with pace, and Chahal troubling oppositions with his spin. You can't overlook these guys' contributions."

Chahal(16 wickets) and Siraj(9 wickets) have played supporting roles to Harshal Patel in the bowling department. They performed admirably and responded whenever summoned by Virat Kohli with good spells.

KKR and RCB don't rely on just the batting department or bowling department alone: Daniel Vettori

Former RCB coach Daniel Vettori reckoned that RCB and KKR were well-rounded sides this year. The Kiwi spinner thought that both sides reached the playoffs due to the collective effort of both batting and bowling units. Previewing the Eliminator match between RCB and KKR on ESPNcricinfo, Daniel Vettori said:

"I think both teams should look at themselves as all-round package units. They don't rely on just the batting department or bowling department alone. That's why they have got themselves in this position today. Both these team KKR and RCB rely on all the facets of the game."

Almost all teams struggled to bat well at the Sharjah this year except for KKR. They managed to decode the trick to ace batting on those sluggish surfaces and won a few games there. RCB will have to vary of this fact and prepare accordingly to face a stern challenge from their opponents.