If there’s an art to shooting yourself in the foot, RCB are the undisputed masters. Seriously, if the IPL gave out trophies for self-sabotage, RCB would’ve built a separate cabinet by now. They had their destiny safely zipped up in their own back pocket — and then came Friday night. One stumble against SRH, and boom — their top 2 hopes are now dangling like Diwali lights after the festival’s over: technically still there, but barely hanging on.
It wasn’t just a defeat, it was a dramatic implosion. At 173/3 in 15.3 overs, they were cruising. And then? Full Titanic mode — lost 7 wickets for just 16 runs. Like, look at that collapse. Thanks to that, Bengaluru was handed their first away loss of the season.
Now only one match is left, and even if they win it, their playoff hopes will depend on the results of Punjab, Mumbai, or Gujarat. In short, they’ve made it to the playoffs, but control? That ship has sailed. It’s like getting into the party but being told you might have to leave if someone cooler walks in.
And just when it couldn’t get more chaotic: Phil Salt and Jacob Bethell are heading home after the league stage. Tim David picked up a hamstring injury against SRH, and Josh Hazlewood is still ghosting the squad with his "maybe, maybe not" availability. Without him, the bowling unit has looked like headless chickens on a sugar rush.
Romario Shepherd had a “don’t worry, I got this” moment with the bat recently, but let’s not get carried away. In four innings where he’s batted first this season, he averages 119. Chasing? That average nose-dives to just 9.8. So yeah, not exactly Mr. Dependable under pressure.
So many issues, and all in the most crucial phase of the tournament. RCB fans were manifesting trophies, not signing up for emotional damage. And once again, the burden falls squarely on the shoulders of King Kohli — but poor Virat, how far can he drag this team on his own?
