Robin Uthappa has some straightforward pointers for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, who are languishing at the bottom of the IPL 2024 points table.
With a seventh defeat in IPL 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s playoff chances are next to nil. Half way through the tournament, RCB are placed at the bottom of the points-table, and are in real danger of finishing with the wooden spoon for the third time. Barring Virat Kohli’s Orange Cap, nothing has quite worked for RCB. They have bled runs – once again highlighting the batting frailties – and failed to chase down totals that are gettable. With the IPL campaign in doldrums, Robin Uthappa, ex-RCB batter has advised the franchise to right the wrongs and call back some of their proven match winners.
Yuzvendra Chahal has been a force to reckon with for Rajasthan Royals. (AP)
Yuzvendra Chahal, IPL’s highest wicket-taker was released by RCB ahead of IPL 2022. Chahal played eight seasons for RCB, picking up 139 wickets from 113 matches, but apparently it wasn’t enough. Chahal’s absence is being felt by RCB as the leg-spinner is pretty much unstoppable for Rajasthan Royals, having taken 60 wickets from 28 matches – 27 in 202ht2, 21 last year and 12 wickets from 7 games this season. Uthappa called out RCB’s questionable decision-making in terms of retaining players, and urged the franchise to bring back Chahal come what may if they are to win the IPL going forward.
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“First, I would go and beg Yuzvendra Chahal to come back. I would do anything; go through hell and high water to bring Yuzi back from RR, make amends. I would maybe even go and bring Harshal Patel back and prepare wickets that are conducive for bowlers there to succeed. Look at the calibre of batters they have – Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik – but bowlers? They’ve had such great batters. AB de Villiers played for them; Chris Gayle played for them. Travis Head played for them. Shane Watson,” Uthappa said on the TRS Clips.
Chahal isn’t the only missed opportunity by RCB. Several players who have left the franchise have gone on to achieve greater things. Shivam Dube played 15 matches for RCB scoring 169 runs, but has found his calling with Chennai Super Kings. Similarly, Devdutt Padikkal in 2020, became just the second uncapped Indian batter to score more than 400 runs in his maiden IPL season, only to be released. Heinrich Klaasen and Abhishek Sharma are another two names that couldn’t flourish with RCB but are making the right noises with SRH.
RCB’s loss is others’ gain
Basically, the point Uthappa is trying to make is how RCB’s losses have proven to be other teams’ gains, something the franchise needs to study deeper to break this pattern.
“Now let’s look at domestic players. Manish Panday, myself, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Devdutt Padikkal… they’ve let them all go. Rahul Dravid is the highest scorer for them after Virat Kohli. Crazy right? It tells you a story. If you move from that narrative and say that Virat Kohli, irrespective of wickets and conditions, knows how to score runs. He will score runs. In KKR, when they won in 2012, 2014, 170 was a winning total. You have to make it harder to score runs. RCB can’t do it. Invest a lot more in bowling and middle order. And sustain them. Exercise the faith. Look at the number of players that have played for RCB this IPL alone. Almost 25,” added Uthappa.
