3 similarities between RCB's turnaround in IPL 2024 and Melbourne Stars' comeback in BBL 2024-25

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) pulled off one of the most memorable comebacks in IPL 2024 when they qualified for the playoffs despite being at the bottom of the points table during the tournament's first half. RCB sealed a place in the playoffs by defeating arch-rivals Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in their last league game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Cricket fans witnessed a similar comeback story in BBL 2024-25, with Melbourne Stars almost replicating what the Royal Challengers Bengaluru did in IPL 2024. The Stars qualified for the playoffs with a win against Hobart Hurricanes at the MCG on January 19.

In this listicle, we will look at the three similarities between RCB and Melbourne Stars' journey to the playoffs in IPL 2024 and BBL 2024-25, respectively.

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#1 RCB and Melbourne Stars lost the season opener by 6 wickets

Royal Challengers Bengaluru played against the Chennai Super Kings in the IPL 2024 season opener at the MA Chidambaram Stadium. The Bengaluru-based franchise batted first and scored 173/6 in 20 overs. In response, CSK reached 176/4 in 18.4 overs to win by six wickets.

BBL 2024-25 started on December 15 at the Perth Stadium with a battle between Perth Scorchers and Melbourne Stars. The Stars batted first and posted 146/9 on the board. The home side chased down the 147-run target inside 18 overs to record a six-wicket win.

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#2 Only 1 win in first 6 matches

Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost their first match against Chennai Super Kings but bounced back with a win over the Punjab Kings in their next game. However, they could not continue in the same vein and lost their next four matches. After six matches in the league round, the Bengaluru-based franchise only had two points in their account, courtesy of the win over Punjab.

Melbourne Stars remained winless in their first five matches of the tournament. They finally opened their account with a win against Brisbane Heat in their sixth game of the league round. Thus, after six games, the Stars also had just one win, like RCB in the 2024 IPL.

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#3 Glenn Maxwell and Tom Curran were a part of RCB in IPL 2024 and Melbourne Stars in BBL 2024-25

Australia all-rounder Glenn Maxwell and England fast bowler Tom Curran were the common members of the RCB and Melbourne Stars squads in IPL 2024 and BBL 2024-25. Maxwell did not have a great IPL season with the bat as he managed only 52 runs, but he played a huge role in Melbourne's success, scoring 297 runs in just eight innings at an average of 59.40 and a strike rate of 194.11.

Meanwhile, Tom Curran did not get a single game in the RCB colors. In BBL 2024-25, Curran made five appearances for the Melbourne Stars, scalping three wickets.

RCB's IPL 2024 campaign had ended in the Eliminator. It will be interesting to see if the Melbourne Stars can go all the way to win the championship.