Kevin Pietersen, former England batsman said the Royal Challengers Bangalore have a couple of big issues which they need to sort quickly in order to get their campaign back on track in IPL 2021.
RCB lost to current table-toppers Chennai Super Kings by 6 wickets in Sharjah on Friday. This loss came after the 9-wicket hammering they took against KKR in their first match of the second leg in Abu Dhabi where the team was dismissed after scoring only 92.
Kevin Pietersen: It Is An Issue That RCB Lost The Game From A Very Good Position From Being 111/0
Kevin Pietersen said, unlike in the last game, RCB was in a very good position against CSK. But they failed to drive home the advantage despite a 111-run opening stand between captain Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal after being asked to bat first by MS Dhoni.
“You can gain momentum through winning and then you can gain momentum through losing as well. If you are going to get hammered like they were against KKR and now you are going to lose a game from being in a very good position then there is a problem. They were 111 for no loss but lost the game, that’s an issue,” Kevin Pietersen said in the post-match show on Star Sports.
Both the RCB openers Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal struck spectacular fifties but CSK pulled the strings to restrict them to 156 for six. RCB managed only 45 runs in the remaining 6.4 overs after being in a position from where they could have pushed for a score in the vicinity of 200.
Dwayne Bravo Restricted RCB To Below 160 From 111 For No Loss
Dwayne Bravo’s bowling changed the course of the RCB innings as he conceded only 24 runs in his four overs besides picking the wickets of RCB all-rounders Glenn Maxwell (11) and Harshal Patel (3).
In reply, CSK openers Ruturaj Gaikwad and Faf Du Plessis added 71 runs in 8.2 overs and later Moeen Ali (23) and Ambati Rayudu (32) also got starts but could not convert those into big knocks. Suresh Raina (17) and skipper MS Dhoni (11) ensured that there were no further hiccups, taking the side past the finish line.
Neither of the two RCB Indian pacers Mohammed Siraj nor Navdeep Saini could trouble the CSK openers. Whether the ball was pitched up, short, or bowled at a good length, Ruturaj Gaikwad and his Protea partner treated them with equal disdain. Realizing that spinners may turn the game around, Virat Kohli handed the ball to off-spinner Glenn Maxwell and the Australian responded with the wicket of Faf du Plessis, who was guilty of playing a loose shot.
However, middle-order batsmen of CSK Ambati Rayudu and Moeen Ali did not show any respect to the slow bowlers. They worked the ball around to keep the scoreboard moving and also got the big shots.
“There are bowling issues too. We keep saying it, who is the bowler (who is going get wickets… Chahal can’t continue to do it. I know h gets wickets, he gets wickets for RCB but you cannot say to him that you’ve got to do it every match. Somebody else has to stand up. One of the seamers have to stand up,” Kevin Pietersen added.
Kevin Pietersen said RCB and Virat Kohli can’t be depending on Yuzvendra Chahal alone to deliver with the ball every time. The duo of Mohammed Siraj and Navdeep Saini overall gave away 48 runs overall in 5 overs, while Wanindu Hasaranga conceded 40 runs in 4 overs.