Five in a Row for Royal Challengers – Can They Make It to Playoffs?

After passing a poor first half of IPL league matches this year, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) has incredibly bounced back with 5 consecutive wins in the second half. Though this remarkable winning streak has brought them to the 5^th position of the point table, they are yet to be too optimistic as only 4 teams are eligible to compete in the playoffs starting from 21^st May.

Besides, they are left with only game against CSK, currently at the 3^rd position on 18^th May. Now the big question is can RCB still have chances to reach the playoffs of IPL 2024? Let’s find out!

Recap of Royal Challengers’ Recent Form

Seeing RCB back in the competition is not just a good news for RCB fans, rather it’s a great news for every cricket enthusiast because real cricket fans do not only want to see their favorite team emerge as champions but also want to enjoy competitive cricket, especially in league matches.

RCB, the team with no IPL title was thought to be out of the tournament again with measurable performance in the first half this year. Though they had some close encounters in this phase, they couldn’t finish well at the end. Even the iconic cricketer Virat Kohli was severely criticized for slow batting though he is one of the tournament’s top scorers!

To come back strongly, RCB needed some dominating wins and they really did it! In the last 5 matches, they defeated DC by 47 runs, PBKS by 60 runs, GT by 4 wickets and 9 wickets, and SRH by 35 runs!

Considering the intensity of IPL games, these wins are extremely difficult. The fans have witnessed some great contributions like the Indian superstar Virat Kohli’s 90 of 47 balls against PBKS, Will Jack’s 100 of 41 balls, Rajat Patidar’s 50 of 20 balls together with impressive performances by the allrounders like Cameron Green with star bowlers like Siraj.

Current Standings and Playoff Scenario

Despite these amazing performances, the real scenario isn’t still much easier for RCB. The fact is they are still in the 5^th position with only one match left while other teams are in the competition too!

Let’s see the point table of IPL at present when most of the teams have one or two games left:

SI	Team	Played	Won	Lost	NRR	Points
1	Kolkata Knight Riders	13	9	3	1.428	19
2	Rajasthan Royals	12	8	4	0.349	16
3	Chennai Super Kings	13	7	6	0.528	14
4	Sunrisers Hyderabad	12	7	5	0.406	14
5	Royal Challengers Bangalore	13	6	7	0.387	12
6	Delhi Capitals	13	6	7	-0.482	12
7	Lucknow Super Giants	12	6	6	-0.769	12
8	Gujarat Titans	13	5	7	-1.063	11
9	Mumbai Indians	13	4	9	-0.271	8
10	Punjab Kings	12	4	8	-0.423	8

So, KKR is the only team who is in the truly safe zone and confirmed a spot for playoffs! RR, SRH, CSK are in the race and can make it with their own performance only. Unfortunately, RCB needs others’ results to go their way to make it finally.

As CSK and RCB will play at Chinnaswamy Stadium on May 18 and by then, SRH will still have one match remaining in the competition, while LSG will have completed all their IPL matches, RCB requires both SRH and LSG fail to score 14 or more by losing rest of their matches!

Thus, RCB can grab their only chance to make the playoffs by scoring more than 200 runs and winning by a margin of at least 18 runs as this will put them ahead of CSK in terms of net run rate. The calculation is tough, chances are not high. But, this game of uncertainty can make it happen!

Strengths and Weaknesses of Royal Challengers

Well, the results of other teams are not in hand of RCB and therefore, there is no point on thinking of LSG and SRH for the team management of RCB. But, an obvious win against CSK with much domination requires a huge effort as CSK is currently in good form with some in-form players.

Virat Kohli, former captain of RCB leads the charge of the team’s daunting batting arsenal with 634 runs in this IPL which makes him tournament’s top run scorer so far. Faf Du Plessis, the opening partner is also performing well throughout the tournament.

The explosive prowess in the middle order is fueled by proven performers like Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar who have already performed some winning knocks. However, in the bowling side, with Mohammed Siraj’s fiery opening spells and the spin wizardry of Wanindu Hasaranga, RCB boasts a seasoned bowling attack too. Bolstered by a potent batting lineup and a diverse bowling arsenal, RCB poses enough chances to win against CSK and solve the calculation!

Yet, they have several areas to improve. Firstly, they have to lessen the dependency on Virat Kohli and Faf Du Plessis and other top-order players need to shine. Secondly, other fast bowlers need to perform consistently with Mohammad Siraj. Thirdly, they may not expect much from their spinners against CSK as Chinnaswamy Stadium is said to be hell for the spinners!

If RCB can maintain these areas with their proper plan and outstanding performance, then the fans may expect a thrilling contest of RCB against CSK to advance to the playoffs.

Key Players and Their Impact

Led by Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell, RCB’s batting lineup is a formidable force, especially to begin the batting innings. With the performance of Virat Kohli in the opening slot and Glen Maxwell to carry the middle order, they should be happy with their batting department.

Undoubtedly, Virat Kohli has been the star performer for RCB this IPL season, leading the charts with 661 runs in 13 innings, wielding an impressive strike rate of 147.34. His unbeaten 113 stands as his highest score so far.

 Apart from them, Cameron Green the young talent and All-rounder from Australia has performed outstandingly in the last match to make RCB stay alive in the competition.

Besides, RCB’s bowling side has impactful players like fast bowler Mohammad Siraj and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga. These players need to keep performing like this while other members of the team have to support.

They should not forget that even after performing outstandingly by a few players, they have lost matches for others’ poor contributions. They also need to focus on good finishing as they have lost some of the matches with very close margins in the first half. Turning those into wins could have changed the scenario.

Remaining Fixture

At this stage, we are left with the following matches before moving to playoffs: 

Date	Match
May 15, 2024	RR vs PBKS
May 16, 2024	SRH vs GT
May 17, 2024	MI vs LSG
May 18, 2024	RCB vs CSK
May 19, 2024	SRH vs PBKS
May 19, 2024	RR vs KKR

As already stated, RCB is left with only one match which is against CSK, RCB can put all their plans for this match only. CSK is in excellent form and yet they are not fully safe. This will make CSK perform their best against RCB. Undoubtedly, this match is going to be a challenging one for RCB.

Conclusion

So, there are so many ifs and buts in the calculation to reach the playoffs. On the other hand, RCB fans are passionate enough are ready to accept another failure of their dream team. Whatever is the ultimate result, true cricket fans always love to see the intense competition where their team fights until the last breath. At least, RCB has raised the hope again and proved themselves alive in the tournament which is already a win for them. Now, let’s see how they keep the momentum till the end!