RCB appears to be an imbalanced squad: Stuart Broad

Cricket legends Steve Smith, Irfan Pathan, and Stuart Broad gave in-depth analyses of the latest performances and tactical subtleties seen in the ongoing IPL 2024 matches.

The former cricket player for England, Stuart Broad, analysed the weaknesses in the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) bowling squad, highlighting the tactical mistakes that cost them against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). In the meantime, Pathan and Smith examined Mitchell Starc’s performance and possible areas for development as a pace bowler for Australia.

Pathan emphasised Starc’s skill in hitting the ball and shared his thoughts on how well-suited Starc is to Indian cricket. Conversely, Smith offered tactical recommendations for Starc’s bowling strategy. Furthermore, Smith provided input regarding KL Rahul’s batting position for the Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Lucknow Super Giants (LSG).

“You want to give KKR a lot of credit at moments like that because they have won in Bengaluru six times in a row. You have to monitor the way the RCB bowls as well. Virat Kohli, one of the greatest batters of all time, finds it extremely tough to time the ball consistently throughout, especially when the KKR bowls cutters and slower balls onto the pitch.

Their problem, in my opinion, is that although the Royals have had strong batting for a long time and have star power, their bowling unit doesn’t seem to be able to step up and win them games. They come on and bowl with a lot of pace, which disappears to the boundary. They also bowled short and were predictable.

It seems like an uneven team, and in my view, they have their overseas players spot on. However, sometimes a humiliating defeat at home helps you focus and realise how you should be playing, Broad said in an interview with Star Sports about the shortcomings of the RCB bowling lineup.

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“RCB should have followed his length when he struck; instead, they dropped far shorter or had their sluggish balls in the slot. In my opinion, what Andre Russell did so brilliantly wasn’t necessarily back-of-the-hand stuff; rather, it was just cutters that the batsmen couldn’t adjust to, going into the top of the stumps.

When bowling cutters, the batters can adjust if you drop too short or too full, but it becomes challenging if you’re at a length that they can’t quite reach. In this case, RCB simply misjudged their lengths. Broad criticised RCB’s subpar bowling strategies, saying, “Too short, too full with the slower balls and cutters, and KKR punished them.”

When the team batting first is supposed to learn a lot from the team bowling first and use that knowledge to improve their play in the second inning,. They were therefore well aware of what KKR accomplished so masterfully, but they were unable to put that knowledge into practice or demonstrate that expertise. “I believe the captain and coaching staff of RCB will be extremely dissatisfied with the way they were able to execute their options,” he continued.

Moreover, Broad discussed the performance of Starc, the most expensive IPL purchase, who has yet to live up to his high price. As a player, you often evaluate yourself based on your performance in the victory category, where you are currently two for two. Being on the winning team usually means you stay on the squad, so he will be happy that his team is crossing the finish line and he hasn’t been hit yet.

The fact that they won the game buys him some time, and because they spent so much money on him, they’ll let him play five or six games to find some form and rhythm. If he had bowled 0 for 100 and lost both of his matches, his stock would definitely be under some doubt.

“Because he’s deadly with the ball when he gets it right, but in the IPL, he may not have had the best match awareness; on a few balls today, he may have made the incorrect decision. DK [Dinesh Karthik] may have swept him over with a pace on the ball at the leg stump, in my opinion. The more he gets to know his captain, his field players and his bowling group, the better he will become at those kinds of things. Having that price tag means that you want to show your teammates that you’re willing to take on the challenge, so he will be under some pressure.

Pathan also discussed Mitchell Starc’s performance. “When he swings the ball in, Starc performs at the highest level. That looping swing has the potential to be fatal when it begins for the right-hand hitter. And in the previous two games, I didn’t witness that. It could be that the head is simply becoming accustomed to Indian circumstances, the pitches, or simply staying on the ball a little longer. He will be a bowler to keep an eye on throughout the IPL once he begins to show some swing.”

Smith, Starc’s substitute, discussed the aspects of bowling that the left-armer should concentrate on. He might have tried to wobble the ball across the right-handed batter today, which is a viable strategy, but I believe he needs to swing it back down the line. His fast bowling speed is over 145 kmph and he bowls left-handed. Nothing compares to a ball swinging back into a hitter who is right-handed. It’s one of the most difficult balls to hit. Therefore, I’d like to see it first and try to steal that one by trying to pilfer off from them.”

Smith also discussed whether KL Rahul versus the Punjab Kings should play down the order or open for LSG. He’s probably going to keep doing it, since I doubt it was a one-game incident. He seems dangerous to me wherever he plays. This is probably something I mentioned earlier in the previous game.

Due to his extensive experience with spin bowling on the power play, he has an extremely low dot ball percentage. Spin usually activates when you enter. The only thing that worried me was having to bat at number five and having to start against it; that’s a little odd. He can hit at any position, though, and he is a good player.”