RCB released 10 players before the auction and added 10 new players to their roster, the highest among of all teams. It doesn’t take an eagle’s eye to see that these are actions of a team desperate to win. Desperation is good, it makes one hungry for success, but in all fairness, the same amount of desperation, if not more, has been there in RCB for quite some time now.
The IPL is designed to NOT have calm waters for too long – there is a mega auction that happens after every 3 seasons, with one to happen before the
There has never been more pressure on the Royal Challengers from Bangalore to win an IPL season. Fortunately for them, there won’t be any fans in the stadium to remind them of this expectation. There’s no doubt that RCB are going to field a top quality squad, but it is their bench strength which will come into the focus as the tournament progresses.
It’s that time of the year but it is not really ‘that’ time of the year. Preparations for the T20 World Cup would have been in full swing right now. Instead we have players converging in UAE almost a month before the start of another IPL season. These are crazy times.
It is very difficult to form an opinion about RCB’s auction. They made a couple of smart buys and acquired Marcus Stoinis from KXIP. While most of their departments look complete, the batting looks a little weak, with the onus once again falling on Kohli and A B de Villiers.
Am I the only one or does it feel like this year’s IPL is lacking a certain level of enthusiasm that we have become accustomed to over the years? If you think so too, much of the blame can be accredited to the fact that this is the first time in its 12-year history that the IPL, the ICC Cricket World Cup and India’s General Elections are occurring in the same year.
The squad goes a long way in determining the outcome of a team. At least when the tournament in question is the Indian Premier League. If history is any indication, IPL has spit out teams who just boast of great names. Only the team with the right combination and the right leader wins this coveted trophy.