IPL 2022, Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, fixtures & more: RCB eye stability as Faf takes charge

Royal Challengers Bangalore are a franchise that have featured in every season of the Indian Premier League from the start and if one looks at their performances over the years, there seems to be a pattern. They reach the playoffs a few times in a row and then finish in the bottom half of the table a few times in a row, and this sequence keeps repeating.

Now, heading into IPL 2022, RCB have the confidence of reaching the playoffs in consecutive seasons. And they will be determined to sustain this run.

With Virat Kohli stepping down as captain, the Royal Challengers are entering a new era as Faf du Plessis takes over the reins. At the mega auction, they spent the big bucks in retaining Harshal Patel and acquiring Wanindu Hasaranga. AB de Villiers will definitely be missed going forward but RCB will back Glenn Maxwell to keep the middle order together. And in terms of the bowling department, a lot will be expected of Mohammed Siraj now that Yuzvendra Chahal has been taken by Rajasthan Royals.

History at the tournament

Squad

Compared to most other teams, the Royal Challengers are in a comfortable position when it comes to player availablity. The majority of their squad is fit to play. Only Australia’s Glenn Maxwell and Josh Hazlewood are likely to miss the first week of the tournament. Maxwell, who got married recently, is set to miss at least the first two matches while Hazlewood is on international duty and should be available from the second week.

IPL Auction 2022, RCB review: Possible best XI, strengths and weaknesses

Full squad: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudessai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Luvnith Sisodia, David Willey.

Most Valuable Player

For a number of years, Maxwell showed sparks of brilliance every now and then but struggled to find the consistency that is expected from a batter of his calibre. But in recent times, the hard-hitting Australian right-hander has found that elusive mix in his game that helps him play match-winning knocks. He was RCB’s highest run-scorer last season and even made headlines in the Big Bash League.A lot will be expected of skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli too, but if Maxwell is at his bestie the middle order then RCB will have great stability in their batting lineup. He can win matches for his team single-handedly and his team will hope he starts the season confidently.

Uncapped Indian to watch out for

Bangalore have recruited two uncapped players from Rajasthan Royals who could make key contributions if given opportunities. Mahipal Lomror was used in the middle order a number of times by Rajasthan and the left-hander impressed at times with some clean hitting but couldn’t make a huge impact. The former India Under-19 player surely has potential and will be keen to start strong if given a chance at RCB. The other youngster is Anuj Rawat. The wicketkeeper-batter didn’t get too many games for RR but has the shot-making to succeed at the top of the order.

Quotes corner

Kohli to RCB: “He [Faf] is a very able captain, someone that I have a lot of respect for. Even as an opposition captain, he is someone that I always admired in the way he went about things, and in the way he went about, he got his team to rally around him. That is the most important thing for any skipper. Even here you can see he is at ease with everyone in the squad, the whole environment in general. And people have a sense of respect for him where if he is making plans or talking about stuff, people are saying ‘hold on, let’s really get into it, listen to it, we got to make a plan around his vision’.”

Watch: Virat Kohli – ‘Chance for me to restructure, find things to improve as a batter’

Fixtures

Teams to play twice: RR, CSK, SRH, PBKS, GT
Teams to play once: MI, KKR, DC, LSG