3 Reasons why Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have not won an IPL title yet

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (often abbreviated as RCB) is a franchise based in Bangalore, Karnataka, that plies its trade in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Since its inception, the team has played its home matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.

The Virat Kohli-led side has never won the IPL, finishing as runners-up on three occasions between 2009 and 2016. Their lack of success over the years despite the presence of various notable players has earned them the tag of “underachievers”. The team holds the records of both the highest and the lowest totals in the IPL– 263 and 49 respectively.

RCB have a huge and passionate fan base all over India and especially in the city of Bangalore. The fans, known to be loyal and vocal in their support, often turn up in large numbers for RCB’s home matches turning the stadium into what is called a “sea of red”. They are well known for their chants of “R-C-B, R-C-B” and the coordinated ‘Mexican Wave’ at the Chinnaswamy.

Virat Kohli was appointed as the permanent captain of the team for the 2013 season. In the seven seasons where Kohli has led the side, they have qualified for the playoffs twice and have managed to reach the finals once. People often wonder what has caused the popular franchise to not win any title yet. So, in this article, let’s look at the possible reasons for that.

Here are the 3 reasons for Kohli’s RCB not winning the tournament yet:

3. Squad Selection

The Bangalore side has always had some big players in their ranks. The combination of Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers is enough to instil fear in the opposition’s mind. However, leaving the stars aside, the team lacks a balance in their squad. It is said that fifty per cent of the tournament is decided at the auction and if you’re getting that wrong, you’re definitely not helping your team’s cause.

While RCB have always been star-studded at the top, their lower order and pace bowling have always been found short. In the T20 format, death bowling is one of the most important components. The Kohli led franchise has failed big time to get quality death bowlers in their mix. Apart from Mitchell Starc in the 2015 season, the franchise has failed to acquire any top quality T20 pacers.

“If you don’t pick the team properly, don’t expect miracles from a captain,” said Akash Chopra in a video on his YouTube channel. The team management has to do better at the auction in order to succeed in the upcoming seasons. The captain can give a list of players, but the rest falls to what the management does on the day. The wrong squad selection is one of the major reasons for RCB failing to win the title.

2. Player Management

While RCB often acquire some greats players, they somehow fail to perform to their potential for the franchise. Probably the pressure of playing for a franchise as famous as the Bangalore one takes a toll on the players. The Support Staff needs to play a big role here and needs to make them feel comfortable. Only a confident player can give the results the side is expecting from him.

High-quality players like KL Rahul, Shane Watson and Quinton de Kock have failed to perform for the Kohli led side. It is to be noted that they all are now key players of their current franchises. Rahul has been appointed as the captain of Punjab and also has the fastest IPL fifty to his name. Watson and De Kock have been consistently playing for the Chennai and Mumbai team respectively, making key contributions from time to time.

With Mike Hesson as their Director Of Cricketing Operations and Simon Katich as Head Coach, the underachievers would be hoping for a much-improved performance. The support staff cannot control what happens on the field, however, it’s their efforts which reap rewards on the field. A good management team can even transform an average team to a great team.

1. Lack of consistency in Playing XI

Captain Virat Kohli is known across the globe as a man who keeps making changes to his team. It has surprised various people when he has made changes to a winning combination as well. In the 2019 season, the Bangalore side made at least one change in 8 of their 14 games. With so many changes how can you expect a player to give you results?

How a captain looks at you is very important in T20 cricket. Specific roles are allotted to specific players and they are supposed to perform those well. However, in order to do this, a cricketer may need some time to get used to the situation and conditions. Continuous chopping and changing will lead to the players being insecure and fearing their spot in the team.

While MS Dhoni and Rohit Sharma are known for backing their players, captain Kohli definitely falls short here. Imagine a Rishabh Pant for the Delhi Capitals. He is given the confidence to go play his natural game. Even if he fails miserably in 2-3 games they back him to single-handedly win them the next. This confidence can transform even an ordinary player into an extraordinary one. With RCB in the hunt for their first title, the Indian skipper needs to maintain consistency in his team selection.