RCB vs LSG: Virender Sehwag Slams RCB's Middle-Order For Collapse Against KKR

Former Indian cricketer Virender Sehwag recently slammed Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) for their perceived over-dependence on their star batsmen Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis. Virender Sehwag said that other players in the team, specifically their middle-order, need to fire.

RCB’s performance in the ongoing IPL 2023 has been a mixed bag. They started their campaign with a commanding 8-wicket victory against Mumbai Indians (MI), thanks to Kohli and du Plessis’ batting masterclass. But in their second match, they suffered an 81-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) after a batting collapse.

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Against KKR, Kohli and du Plessis seemed to have got a good start, but as soon as the spinner – Sunil Narine and Varun Chakravarthy – were introduced, every RCB batsman struggled. After the two star openers were dismissed, only Michael Bracewell and David Willey reached double-digit runs.

Also read: RCB vs LSG: Royal Challengers Bangalore Sign Vyshak Vijay Kumar As Replacement For Injured Rajat Patidar For Remainder Of IPL 2023

The team’s experienced batsmen like Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik disappointed, scoring 14 runs between them.

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During a post-match discussion on Cricbuzz, Virender Sehwag highlighted the need for the other players to step up and perform.

Also read: RCB vs LSG: “Gautam Gambhir Would Have Been Watching This Match” – Mohammad Kaif Feels Lucknow Super Giants Mentor Could Target Virat Kohli’s Weakness

“You can’t depend on just two players. It’s like only when Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis play well RCB will win. This can’t happen. Glenn Maxwell has to contribute. Dinesh Karthik has to contribute. The others will have to chip in. Even Anuj Rawaj, who came in as an Impact Player, needs to do well. RCB needs to look if there are any better options available than him,” Virender Sehwag said.

Virender Sehwag highlights the silver lining in RCB’s performance against KKR

Despite being dominated by a team that is not expected to do too well in IPL 2023, Virender Sehwag found silver linings in RCB’s dismal performance.

IPL is a tournament of scraping points wherever you can. But it is also a tournament of Net Run Rate (NRR), which determines a teams league ranking if two or more are tied on points. Virender Sehwag highlighted that it is good to get such a huge defeat, which will heavily impact the NRR, out of the way early in the tournament, so the team knows where they stand.

“It’s good that this happened to RCB in the second itself. If this had happened after 8-9 matches in the league then it would have made a huge difference in the points table because of a poor net run rate. Then you might have been left with no option but to win all of your remaining matches to qualify. But now they still have a chance to make a comeback,” he said.

Also read: KKR vs RCB: ‘One Good Match And We Forgot RCB’s True Potential’- Twitter Reacts As KKR Thumps RCB In Eden Gardens

RCB will look to bounce back with a win in their next match against Lucknow Super Giants on April 10.

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