IPL 2022 preview: This time for RCB?

'Not Again' - this has become the new anthem for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and their fans in the last few years. After having a good 2016 season where they fell short in the Final, RCB failed to make it to the playoffs in the next three seasons. Things, however, improved a little as they managed to make it to the playoffs in the last two seasons, albeit falling short on both those occasions.

With the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 just a week away, it is yet another opportunity for them to finally get their hands on the trophy. Since the IPL title has eluded them these years, their fans would be hoping 2022 is the year where their wait ends, at last.

New RCB squad

RCB will enter the 2022 edition of the IPL with a relatively new squad. Ahead of the mega auction, their star player, AB de Villiers, announced his retirement from the league.

Moreover, they retained just three of their players - Virat Kohli (₹15 crore), Glenn Maxwell (₹11 crore), and Mohammad Siraj (₹7 crore). This meant that RCB went into the auction with a heavy purse of ₹57 crore to build a new squad.

They broke the bank to buy back their two main bowlers, Wanindu Hasaranga (₹10.75 crore) and Harshal Patel (₹10.75 crore), but decided against buying back their veteran spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.

In return, they bought Josh Hazlewood (₹7.75 crore), Dinesh Karthik (₹5.5 crore), Jason Behrendorff, Mahipal Lomror, David Willey, among other major purchases.

The main aim of the think-tank, however, was to find a captain to lead their side following Virat Kohli's resignation. Despite Sunrisers Hyderabad's (SRH) former skipper David Warner being available, they decided to go instead for former Proteas skipper Faf du Plessis (₹7 crore) as their new captain.

Thus, the Bengaluru-based side completed a somewhat full transformation of their squad.

Batting woes

RCB relied mainly on AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli to steer their ship whenever they found themselves in troubled waters. With AB now retired and Kohli going through a lean patch as a batsman, it is sufficient to say that their batting will be tested in the upcoming edition of IPL.

Skipper Faf du Plessis is all set to open the batting alongside Virat Kohli, with Dinesh Karthik taking up the finisher's role. Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Aneeshwar Gautam, and Sherfane Rutherford are all-rounders who will aim to strengthen the middle and lower order.

The problem, however, lies in the lack of experience in batting. With solid Indian players like Washington Sundar and KS Bharat not present, the batting department does look a little green when compared to the firepower of other franchises.

Mahipal Lomror will hope to create a big impact with both the bat and the ball in the upcoming IPL

Bowling strength

RCB has always had the batting strength to make other franchises envious of their firepower. But this time, their bowling department looks stronger than their batting unit.

In the pace-bowling section, New Zealand's tall seamer Kyle Jamieson was not retained, and was replaced by another tall pacer, Josh Hazlewood. The Aussie seamer played an integral part in helping his former team (CSK) win the IPL and his national team, Australia, win the T20 World Cup last year.

He will be partnered with Harshal Patel (purple cap holder in the 2021 IPL), Jason Behrendorff, David Willey, Mohammad Siraj, Chama Milind, and Siddharth Kaul.

RCB's stocks are even richer in the spin-bowling department, with the return of Sri Lanka's Wanindu Hasaranga. He has played only two IPL games, both for RCB in 2021, but his record for Sri Lanka does indicate that he is a very capable bowler.

Hasaranga's batting abilities provide yet more value for his inclusion. He will be joined by Shahbaz Ahmed, Karn Sharma, and Mahipal Lomror as full-time spinners. Moreover, with Glenn Maxwell also being a useful part-time spinner, the spin-department looks one of the strongest in the league.

RCB will play three crucial matches in Pune - against Mumbai Indians (April 9), Rajasthan Royals (April 26), and Chennai Super Kings (May 4). With the Pune ground known to aid spin, their tweakers might prove to be too hot to handle for the other teams.

IPL 2022 prediction

While RCB does have a new captain and a fiery bowling lineup, some weaknesses in their batting lineup could prove to be their undoing. Much will depend on Kohli and Maxwell's form as the franchise will look to fill the very big shoes of AB de Villiers.

The coaching staff will also have an eye on their fielding standards, which did let them down in many crunch situations during the last season.

With a well-balanced squad, the Bengaluru-based franchise should back themselves to reach the playoff stage. However, their batting does raise doubts as to whether they will be able to end the wait for the coveted trophy.

Only time will tell if this year will finally realise their fans' slogan of 'Ee Saala Cup Namde'.

Schedule: Royal Challengers Bangalore will play against Punjab Kings on March 27 at DY Patil Stadium.

Likely Playing XI: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaaz Ahmad, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Josh Hazlewood.