Can the RCB bowlers use their title-winning know-how to finally end the championship drought?
Batters win you matches; bowlers win you tournaments. If anyone wants to dispute this statement, mention one name: Jasprit Bumrah.
The one common criticism about Royal Challengers Bengaluru is their inability to form a tournament-winning bowling attack. They always possessed batting quality. Chris Gayle and AB de Villiers formed the batting core for a large part of the previous decade. Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell carried the legacy in the recent seasons. Virat Kohli remained a constant in all those years. The IPL 2025 mega auction witnessed a marked change in RCB's auction strategy.
The RCB think tank went for less glamorous, yet proven and effective performers.
Josh Hazlewood doesn't get as much praise as Pat Cummins or Mitchell Starc. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is perceived to be a bowler who has passed his prime. Krunal Pandya won't make it to the list of three best left-arm spinners in the league. Suyash Sharma may not make it to the list of top 20 spinners in the league. Yash Dayal's name may not occur to many fans if they are asked to list the best left-arm pacers in the country. RCB retained Yash Dayal and bought the other four players in the mega auction.
The aforementioned five bowlers have the experience of winning IPL title with five different teams.
Player Title winning year Team Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2016 Sunrisers Hyderabad Krunal Pandya 2017, 2019, 2020 Mumbai Indians Josh Hazlewood 2021 Chennai Super Kings Yash Dayal 2022 Gujarat Titans Suyash Sharma 2024 Kolkata Knight Riders
Bhuvneshwar Kumar won the purple cap in 2016. His tight bowling in the final against RCB was invaluable. He conceded just 25 runs in his four overs at an economy rate of 6.25. In a chase of 209, RCB scored 25 runs off Bhuvneshwar Kumar's four overs and smashed 175 runs in the other 16 overs. Krunal Pandya was the player of the match in the final of IPL 2017. Josh Hazlewood was the best bowler for CSK in the 2021 final. Yash Dayal provided the first breakthrough in the 2022 final in Ahmedabad, the venue for this year's final. His stocks have gone up after bowling a stellar final over to MS Dhoni in two consecutive seasons.
Suyash Sharma played only two matches in 2024 for KKR and failed to take a single wicket. Yet, it doesn't matter. He has the experience of being a part of a title-winning squad.
The pressure of the RCB management and the angst of its passionate fans to end the title drought need not be experienced by these bowlers. The entire attack has the know-how, and most importantly, the happy memory of holding the IPL trophy. All they have to do is turn up and do the job for one last time. The RCB faithful will be indebted to them forever.
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