RCB vs LSG: SWOT Analysis of Royal Challengers Bangalore ahead of IPL 2022 Eliminator

The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have qualified for their third consecutive IPL playoffs in three years, and the squad will be hoping to advance further this time after being eliminated in the Eliminator stage the previous two seasons. RCB entered the 15th edition of the IPL with some significant changes, most notably after they had a new skipper in the form of Faf du Plessis. The shift in leadership has given RCB a much-needed boost, as the team has won eight of its 14 games in the league stage, putting them among the top candidates to qualify for the playoffs.

The Challengers are slated to play the IPL 2022 Eliminator against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) at Kolkata's Eden Gardens Stadium on Wednesday. The side that will win tonight's Eliminator will then go on to face Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 on May 27 before advancing to the final to play against Gujarat Titans. Ahead of the big-ticket clash, let's do an in-depth analysis of RCB's squad.

RCB went into IPL 2022 mega auction with just three players on its retention list, including Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, and Mohammed Siraj. To everyone's surprise, the Bengaluru-based franchise decided to let go of their star spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who was replaced by Wanindu Hasaranga. Opener Devdutt Padikkal was also released by the franchise ahead of the auction. RCB, however, acquired the services of Faf du Plessis, Josh Hazlewood, and Dinesh Karthik to make their squad stronger. 

One of RCB's key concerns ahead of the mega auction was to find a player to replace former South African batter AB de Villiers, who had been a prolific run-scorer for the franchise for several years. RCB bought Dinesh Karthik to replace De Villiers in the squad and the elegant wicketkeeper-batsman did not disappoint as he right away donned the cap of a finisher for his side and helped them finish games on multiple occasions. 

RCB squad: 1. Virat Kohli, 2. Glenn Maxwell, 3. Mohammed Siraj, 4. Harshal Patel, 5. Faf du Plessis, 6. Wanindu Hasaranga, 7. Dinesh Karthik, 8. Josh Hazlewood, 9. Shahbaz Ahamad, 10. Anuj Rawat, 11. Akash Deep, 12. Mahipal Lomror, 13. Finn Allen, 14. Sherfane Rutherford, 15. Jason Behrendorff, 16. Suyash Prabhudessai, 17. Chama Milind, 18. Aneeshwar Gautam, 19. Karn Sharma, 20. Siddharth Kaul, 21. Luvnith Sisodia, 22. David Willey.

RCB's strengths and weaknesses

Strength: RCB's key strength is hands down their lethal bowling attack, which comprises Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Mohammed Siraj, RCB also has two part-time bowlers in the form of Glenn Maxwell and Shahbaz Ahmed, who can provide them with that extra bowling option in crunch situations. Faf du Plessis will look to make good use of his team's strength and elect to bowl first if they win the toss in tonight's Eliminator against Lucknow. 

Weakness: Although the team boasts some of the big names in world cricket such as Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, and Dinesh Karthik, RCB's batting line-up still remains their key weakness. Bangalore still haven't found a permanent solution to their No. 3 and No. 5 conundrums, while Virat Kohli's batting form has also been a matter of concern for the side. It will be interesting to see how the side performs in tonight's Eliminator against LSG. 

Image: iplt20.com/BCCI