‘Lost hopes on their bowlers’ – Fans react as RCB start with only four frontline bowlers in the XI

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are taking on Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the 30th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They have lost their previous four games and can’t afford any further hiccups if they are to remain alive in the competition.

Fortunately, RCB are back at home as they look to revive their campaign and get back to winning ways. They won a crucial toss to start with, but the changes they made for the contest have hogged headlines, for RCB have taken a few bold steps and dropped two big-name players from their XI.

Glenn Maxwell, who has been in abysmal form and looked out of touch in the first half, is dropped to accommodate Lockie Ferguson, who is making his debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Maxwell was one of RCB’s key players, contributing heavily to all the departments, and his exclusion is surprising, even if he was enduring a rough patch.

Also Read: After Ashwin, Laxman Sivaramakrishnan takes unnecessary dig at Harsha Bhogle

Mohammed Siraj, who is RCB’s leader of the bowling pack, is also sidelined after several below-par returns. Siraj hasn’t managed to provide regular breakthroughs and leaked runs heavily, tempting RCB to look beyond him for their SRH clash.

Fans react as RCB start with four frontline bowlers in the XI

After making all the big changes, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are starting with only four frontline bowlers despite bowling first. Their main bowlers are Vijaykumar Vyshak, Reece Topley, Lockie Ferguson, and Yash Dayal.

They are banking on two part-timers Will Jacks and Mahipal Lomror to complete the remaining four overs, which is a risky move, especially on a ground like M Chinnaswamy Stadium. It’s not that the frontline RCB bowlers are in great form, either, for all of them have been quite expensive this edition.

Following the announcement of RCB’s XI, fans have started to express their views on RCB’s tactics to go in with four specialists in the bowling department. Most of them found the move baffling, and rightly so.

Here are some reactions:

RCB playing with 4 bowlers and Will Jacks 😭😭

They have completely lost hopes on their bowlers#RCB #RCBvSRH

— King Kariya (@KingKariyaa) April 15, 2024

Faf said after the last game that RCB don’t have bowling so he is really going with 4 bowlers + Jacks in this match wow. Batting and inshallah.

— Manya (@CSKian716) April 15, 2024

Am I missing something, did RCB while opting to bowl first go with 4 main bowlers in the 11?
Who will be their 5th bowler?

— Philip George (@Phil_Geo88) April 15, 2024

Who is Rcb’s 5th bowler today ?!

Jacks + Lomror + Saurav to bowl 4 👀 ?!#IPL2024 #RCB

— Karthik Rao (@Cric_Karthikk) April 15, 2024

RCB are starting with 4 bowlers only, all being pacers. Vyshak, Dayal, Topley, Ferguson is a decent pace attack to start with. But they are one bowler short imo, Jacks+Lomror as 5th bowler isnt ideal in Chinnaswamy.

— Rᴀɪᴋᴀᴛ  (@OverMidWicket) April 15, 2024

Again they messed up with impact player.. Lomror should come as impact.. We only have 4 bowlers and 5th bowler is will jacks what the hell is this startegy man #rcb

— Jk (@jishnu_crise) April 15, 2024

Wait a second, Lomror and Jacks will fill RCB’s fifth bowling option? Or they will bring in someone as Impact Player mid innings? Why would they do that though? #RCBvSRH

— Prasenjiit Dey (@CricPrasen) April 15, 2024

The assumption behind RCB going with 4 bowlers + Jacks is that they will anyways concede 220. Might as well have 7 batters + 8th impact batter while chasing.

— ParteekNotPrateek (@randomcricfacts) April 15, 2024

Srh batting first
5 bowlers

Rcb bowling first
4 bowlers 😭😭 pic.twitter.com/X7EXyH9O4Q

— .. (@Hakunamatata474) April 15, 2024

RCB still haven’t figured out that 4 batters do not a cricket team make. You need bowlers too. Still early days, give then another 15 IPL seasons, they’ll figure it out. I hope.

— The Shah of Blah 🌈 (@mrgnk) April 15, 2024

Sunrisers Hyderabad have got a flying start. Their openers – Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma – made full use of the field restrictions.

For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Telegram and YouTube.