IPL 2018: Analysis of RCB's campaign
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bangalore had 'almost' qualified for the play-offs, but missed out in the end. The side peaked at business end of the group stage and created a chance for themselves, but were knocked out of IPL 2018 in their final game. The must-win encounter against Rajasthan Royals saw their collapse despite RCB being in the driver's seat. Here we decode Bangalore's campaign.
Failures
Batsmen let Kohli down
It was one of those campaigns, once again, where RCB's middle-order failed miserably. Everything was riding on the shoulders of skipper Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers. The duo were in the thick of action, but inconsistency from the rest defined their term. A livid Kohli acknowledged this fact post his side's last match. The loss against Royals highlighted the problems.
Poor start
Early losses hurt them bad
Five losses in the first seven games made the task impossible for RCB. In those games, the death bowling was weak. Further, they were let down by their fielders. With the batting not clicking as well, it was a period of uncertainty. They came together to stitch three crucial successive victories in the end, but the sheepishness against RR undid all the good work.
Captaincy
Kohli gets a 6/10 in captaincy rating
Skipper Kohli had an average season. His team selection was questionable on several occasions. For instance, Moeen Ali deserved much more game time. Further, he kept on changing the opening pair and his XI lacked balance. At times, they were a bowler short and that hurt the side at the death. Kohli played superbly but his captaincy lacked aggression.
Information
Umesh, AB deserves special credit
With 20 wickets to his name, Umesh Yadav was a stand out performer for RCB this season. He bowled with a lot of purpose and pace. AB shined yet again. He scored 480 runs in 12 matches and dominated the bowlers.