Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) endured a heartbreaking defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) last night, which ended their campaign in IPL 2023.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) endured a heartbreaking defeat against Gujarat Titans (GT) last night, which ended their campaign in IPL 2023. It was another ‘what-if’ season for RCB, as they will wait another year before their next attempt at winning the title.
There were several positives for the Bangalore-based franchise throughout the season, with some memorable individual performances by different players in the team. Several players stepped up for RCB and bailed them out of troubled waters at times.
However, there were also a few players who didn’t perform according to the expectations, and their below-par returns haunted RCB at times. Had those players turned up on a few occasions, RCB would have been in a much better position, and they didn’t have to suffer an early exit from the competition.
While numerous players had a below-par IPL season while featuring for RCB, Dinesh Karthik’s run probably hurt the team the most. While Karthik was in unbelievable batting form last season, he seemed a pale shadow of himself in IPL 2023.
Dinesh Karthik ended the season with only 140 runs at an average of 11.67 and a strike rate of 134.62 in 13 innings. Last year, the 37-year-old flourished in the role of a finisher, but he struggled for form and timing in every match in IPL 2023.
Tom Moody, who has earlier acted as a coach of Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in the league, opined that Karthik might have played his last IPL season now.
“Dinesh Karthik had a very average tournament, and you just wonder whether this is possibly his last tournament,” opined Tom Moody in a show with ESPNcricinfo.
Tom Moody also added that Anuj Rawat showed his talent with the willow, but the team management should also work on his wicketkeeping expertise.
“What is still very obvious is this it seems to still be a gaping hole between No.4 and No.7. Rawat showed promise, but I think you need to spend some time with him behind the stumps.”
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While Dinesh Karthik didn’t have a good season, he is known for his comebacks. There will be ample time for him to work on the things that went wrong this year and make a blistering comeback next year.
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