"Their bowling is perfect" - Sanjay Manjarekar has high praise for RCB's bowling attack

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 is all set to begin with the defending champions Gujarat Titans taking on 4-time winners Chennai Super Kings at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on March 31. The league has introduced some innovations in the rules that will take effect from this year's edition.

As has always been the case before the start of each edition of the IPL, there has been plenty of talk from fans and media members on whether this is the year the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will win their first-ever IPL title.

The side finished fourth in the points table last season and beat the Lucknow Super Giants in the eliminator. They, unfortunately, couldn't follow that up with another victory in Qualifier two as defeat to the Rajasthan Royals meant the franchise had to end another IPL season without the trophy in hand.

Despite the franchise's inability to go all the way, the team has made tremendous progress over the last three years by making the playoffs in each edition since 2020. This can be attributed to a marked improvement in their bowling performances. Death Bowling, the team's biggest Achilles heel in the past, has improved drastically with the additions of Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Josh Hazelwood.

Former cricketer and current commentator Sanjay Manjarekar believes that the Bengaluru-based franchise possesses the best bowling attack in the competition.

Speaking to Star Sports, Manjarekar said:

“Their pace bowling has depth. Even if Hazlewood is not fit, then they have Topley. In spin, they have Wanindu Hasaranga. They have Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel. Their bowling is perfect and even Maxwell can bowl. In this IPL, according to me, the best bowling attack belongs to RCB and that is their combined x-factor."

The team also made some wily additions at the mini-auction, acquiring the likes of spin bowling all-rounder Will Jacks and left-arm seamer Reece Topley. Unfortunately, Jacks will miss the tournament with an injury, and he has been replaced by hard-hitting all-rounder Michael Bracewell, who recently impressed in the 3-match ODI series against India.

RCB Unbox Event will see the induction of Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers into the RCB Hall of Fame

Before the start of the IPL, fans from Bengaluru and all over the cricketing world can catch the RCB Unbox Event to be held at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on March 26. The event will feature the jersey retirement of two of the franchise's greatest players, AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle.

The duo will be inducted into the RCB Hall of Fame for their contributions to the franchise. While Gayle was part of the franchise from 2011 to 2017, AB de Villiers played from 2011 to 2021.

Besides that, the event will also have the franchise unveiling its jersey for the 2023 IPL season and the squad's first full-team practice session. There will also be live performances by Jason Derulo, Sonu Nigam and Tulsi Kumar, among others.

The event will begin at 4 PM IST, and fans can watch it live on RCB's official YouTube channel.

RCB are slated to play their first game of the season against the 5-time champions Mumbai Indians at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on April 2.