Virat Kohli. AB de Villiers. Chris Gayle.For years, RCB was all about these three icons, carrying the team on their shoulders, match after match, season after season. But this year? This year, it’s a whole new RCB—a team where everyone’s stepping up.
Let’s break it down, one by one. First up, eight different players have won Player of the Match for RCB this season! Krunal Pandya and Rajat Patidar did it twice each, and the rest of the list is just as star-studded: Phil Salt, Tim David, Josh Hazlewood, Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, and of course, King Kohli himself.
This season, RCB has all their bases covered. Just look at the opening partnership—Salt and Kohli have been on fire, smashing runs at 10.36 per over, the best RCB has ever managed in an IPL season.
And it’s not just the openers. The middle order and the finishers have been absolutely clutch. RCB set a new record this year: the first team in IPL history to have ten different batters score a fifty in a single season! And it doesn’t stop there—five fifties have come from number five or lower in the batting order, another franchise record.
This batting lineup is pure magic.
Now, Kohli’s been a machine—eight fifties this season, and every single one has come in a winning cause. But it’s not just him anymore. Romario Shepherd’s heroics against CSK, Jitesh Sharma’s finishing touch against LSG, Rajat Patidar’s blitz against Mumbai—this season, match-winners are popping up everywhere.
Let’s talk about the bowlers. Krunal Pandya is having his best IPL ever—15 wickets and that clutch 73 not out against Delhi. Josh Hazlewood? Eighteen wickets in just ten matches—phenomenal!
And even the replacements have been gold. Jacob Bethell, stepping in for Phil Salt, hammered 67 runs in two innings at a strike rate of 172, including a fifty. Mayank Agarwal, coming in for Devdutt Padikkal, played a crucial role in the chase against LSG.
Oh, and here’s a stat that’s just wild: RCB is the first team ever to win all their away matches in a single season—7 out of 7! You see, they lost at Lucknow’s Ekana Stadium when they were the “home” side against SRH. But as soon as they were the away team there against LSG, they won again. That’s a record with some serious swagger.
No doubt about it, this is RCB’s best season ever. For the first time, they’re playing like a true team. And RCB fans, keep your fingers crossed and just sit back, enjoy the ride, and maybe, just maybe, get ready to celebrate something special this year!
