Factors that suggest that Royal Challengers Bangalore could be IPL champions in 2019

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) start among the favourites to win an Indian Premier League (IPL) title almost every season but not a single time have they managed to lift the title so far. The supporters of one of the most popular franchises are understandably dejected and so is the management which sought to overhaul the side this year bringing in new players and a coach in former South Africa batsman Gary Kirsten. Can Virat Kohli’s side deliver this time?

The RCB have always boasted about their batting line-up that features the likes of Kohli and South African AB de Villiers. Not a long ago, Caribbean threat Chris Gayle was also a part of the line-up. There have been instances of massive personal records by these batters from RCB but team-wise, they have failed to finish as the best. RCB made the finals thrice, the latest being under Kohli in 2016, but could not win the trophy even once. Kohli even conceded recently that wrong decisions saw the Royals falling short of the title.

Some factors, however, hint at the RCB doing well in IPL 2019 and perhaps even winning it. The franchise brought in nine players this season and they include talented overseas batsmen like Shimron Hetmyer (Windies) and Heinrich Klaasen (South Africa) besides home-grown all-rounder Shivam Dube who made a name in the domestic season.

Bengaluru did it in other sports this season

Besides the cricketing factor, another reason also suggests that Bengaluru could do well in the IPL this year. In the 2018-19 season, franchises based out of the city have done well in various sports like badminton, kabaddi and football. While Bengaluru Bulls beat Gujarat Fortunegiants in January to win their maiden Pro Kabaddi League title, Bengaluru Raptors pocketed their first-ever title in Pro Badminton League.

Also in football, Bengaluru FC also led by another Indian captain, Sunil Chhetri, defeated Goa in the final of the Indian Super League on Sunday. In cricket too, Karnataka defeated Maharashtra in the final of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy T20 tournament recently to win the title for the first time.

So, if all others can, then why can’t RCB also do something similar in IPL?

[interaction id=”5c86622ff115e0e881e102f8″]

Get the latest Cricket News and updates from Indian Premier League, Match Predictions, Fantasy Cricket Tips and lots more on CricTracker.com.