The Royal Challengers Bangalore season in this year’s Tata 2022 IPL went exactly how it has gone in the past few seasons: strong start to the season, poor performance in the middle, stumble into the playoffs and choke at the end. This has been a problem that has plagued Royal Challengers Bangalore for years and they have been unable to find a way to get over the hump. But what is the issue?

After this year’s mega auction, there were tremendously high hopes and expectations from this team. They had a strong auction and brought in players like Josh Hazelwood, Wanindu Hasaranga, Faf Du Plessis, Dinesh Karthik while adding onto the core of superstar Virat Kohli, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj and Glenn Maxwell. On paper, they were one of the strongest teams in this year’s IPL but they failed to come together to put consistent performances on the board. They suffered three defeats where they scored less than 100 runs which is horrendous in the T20 format. They stumbled into the playoffs and choked again. Their lack of consistency across the board became their Achilles heel.

This was the first year for RCB where Virat Kohli was not leading the team. He stepped down from captaincy and opened the door for the experienced Faf du Plessis to take the helm. Expectations were that the reduced pressure of captaincy would allow Virat Kohli to plat a more natural game and lean into his role as a batsman. However, the exact opposite happened. Kohli struggled mightily throughout the tournament, putting up only two 50s and three scores of 0. He found every possible way to get out, from run outs to unfortunate bounces and knicks off of his gloves. The rest of the team failed to support their out-of-form leader.

With the exception of Dinesh Karthik, who was one of the most lethal finishers in this year’s IPL, all other RCB batsmen strung together a handful of decent performances. Only one other batsman averaged above 30 (Faf). The Patidar has his average of 55 inflated by 1 century. If that century is removed, he would’ve averaged well below 30 as well. The poor contribution from Glenn Maxwell (27.36) and Shahbaz Ahmed (27.37) led to another disappointing season from this star-studded team. Pace bowler Mohammad Siraj often failed to find the right line and length and his numbers reflected his performance. He ended the season giving up over 10 runs per over and only took 9 wickets. Shahbad Ahmed gave up 9.60 runs per over and only took 4 wickets all season. How can RCB resolve the issue?

The first issue that needs to be addressed is coaching. These are world-class batsmen that have struggled in the IPL. Sridharan Sriram, the batting coach, and Adam Griffith, the bowling coach, must be replaced. This team has experienced far too many poor performances to justify retaining either coach. As we have seen across all sports – a good coach can make the difference. Poor coaching can make even the best players look poor – something we saw with Barcelona’s squad after Pep Guardiola’s departure and before Xavi took over. Replacing the coaching staff, and adding a consistent all-rounder, will help solidify their middle order, improve batting ability, and make them a legit competitor for the 2023 IPL.