Manoj Tiwary explains why Virat Kohli’s RCB haven’t won an IPL trophy

Manoj Tiwary, the veteran Bengal cricketer, has tried to decipher the reasons behind Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) not being able to win a title in the Indian Premier League (IPL). Back in 2013, Kohli was appointed as the Challengers’ skipper after he replaced New Zealand’s Daniel Vettori. But in eight seasons, he’s yet to lead his team to glory.

Tiwary, who last played an IPL match in 2018 for Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), feels that RCB has faltered in terms of team combination and making tactics. In the previous edition, Kohli and Co made the playoffs but were knocked out after a defeat at the hands of Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator.

When your overseas players cannot contribute, then your team is in trouble: Manoj Tiwary

“There are lots of reasons for it (Virat Kohli not winning IPL). His record with the Indian cricket team is far better than his record with RCB as a captain. To build a good team, you have to have a good combination,” Tiwary was quoted as saying to Sportskeeda.

Tiwary said that RCB need to find a way of playing AB de Villiers as a wicketkeeper in order to rope in another quality overseas player.

“Until and unless AB de Villiers keeps for the whole tournament, you will not be able to play another overseas player in your team. We did not see AB keep in the first six or seven games. But eventually, they had to do it,” he stated.

Tiwary was also a tad disappointed with Josh Philippe, who made his IPL debut last season. Philippe started as a middle-order batter before starting to open the batting. In five games, the right-hander managed 78 runs at an average of 19.50. Tiwary wasn’t happy with Aaron Finch either as he got 268 runs from 12 matches.

“Josh Philippe was a big letdown (last season). They thought he would come and do the job for them at the top of the batting line-up. Unfortunately, he could not contribute. When your overseas players cannot contribute, then your team is in trouble. Chris Morris was also injured in the first half of the tournament,” Tiwary added.