Irfan Pathan raises serious concerns about RCB's batting heading into IPL 2024
The upcoming season of the Indian Premier League (IPL 2024) is a little more than a month away. The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will once again be gunning to break the jinx and lift their maiden IPL title this time around.
In a bid for the same, RCB revamped their squad for the new season, especially their bowling lineup. However, former India pacer Irfan Pathan has raised questions about RCB's batting lineup.
Pathan has expressed his dilemma over RCB's tag of having a star-studded batting lineup, considering that a relatively unknown player like Anuj Rawat played in the middle-order last season.
In IPL 2023, Rawat scored 91 runs across seven innings at a notable strike rate of 128.16. His inclusion in the XI of the Bengaluru-based franchise was a forced choice due to the unavailability of Rajat Patidar and Dinesh Karthik's struggle with form.
Irfan Pathan wary about RCB's batting lineup for IPL 2024
During a panel discussion on Star Sports, Pathan addressed the Royal Challengers Bangalore's reliance on their batting lineup, particularly emphasizing the contributions of Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, and Glenn Maxwell. He affirmed that the team's fortunes would indeed hinge on the performance of these key players.
"Absolutely, because the bowling is not as strong as it used to be, despite them having not won the tournament yet in so many years. So the batting will be the key, how they start and how they play in the middle overs as well.
Pathan also recognized the potential impact of Cameron Green's addition to RCB's batting strength for the upcoming season. However, he raised concerns about the challenge of team combinations, noting that Green's inclusion might limit the ability to field additional overseas bowlers due to international player restrictions.
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