"They have changed their name but not their deeds" - Aakash Chopra on RCB's IPL 2024 loss to RR

Aakash Chopra has noted that RCB's decision to change their name to Royal Challengers Bengaluru hasn't altered their actions or fortunes.

The Bengaluru-based franchise set the Rajasthan Royals (RR) a 184-run target in an IPL 2024 clash in Jaipur on Saturday, April 6. The home team chased the target down with six wickets and five deliveries to spare to register their fourth consecutive win and move atop the points table.

In a video shared on his YouTube channel, Chopra noted that even a changed name hasn't helped RCB's cause.

"Everyone said that this tournament has twists and thrillers. However, the Bengaluru guys are saying - 'It's not the case with us. Neither are we able to win nor are we able to fight. We wanted Kohli to score runs, he is doing that, but no one else is able to score and whatever we score is not enough'," he elaborated (1:00).

"What is happening? They have played five matches and lost four of them. The situation is very bad. They have changed their name but not their deeds. They are struggling, there is no doubt about that," the former India opener added.

With two points from five games, RCB are currently placed eighth on the points table. They might need to win at least six of their remaining nine league games to stand any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.

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"It was the joint-slowest hundred in IPL history but it was not about that" - Aakash Chopra on RCB opener Virat Kohli's century

Virat Kohli scored an unbeaten 113 off 72 balls. [P/C: iplt20.com]

While acknowledging that Virat Kohli scored the joint-slowest century in IPL history, Aakash Chopra pointed out that he was virtually like a lone warrior.

"Faf du Plessis scored runs. He was seen batting slightly well for the first time in this season. Kohli was at the other end. Incidentally, Manish Pandey scored a 67-ball century and his century also came off 67 balls. So it was the joint-slowest hundred in IPL history but it was not about that," he said (3:00).

"The thing is for how long will he walk alone? 'Ekla chalo re' is a good song but it is a song, you don't win the match with that. If you hadn't lost a wicket in the first 12-13 overs, there is no doubt that you should have scored 200 runs. However, this team was left well behind 200, scored 183 in total - not going to be enough," the cricketer-turned-commentator added.

Kohli's strike rate of 156.94 was the best among all RCB batters. Although Faf du Plessis contributed 44 runs, his strike rate of 133.33 potentially put the visitors slightly behind the eight ball, especially considering the lack of potency in their bowling attack.