Ex-India Bowler Vinay Kumar Backs RCB to Win Back-to-Back IPL Titles

Ex-India bowler Vinay Kumar backs "balanced" RCB to win back-to-back IPLs

Mumbai, May 25

The defending champions RCB is going to play Qualifier One against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at Dharamsala on Tuesday. The Rajat Patidar-led side will be aiming not only for a back-to-back IPL title, but also for the rare distinction of securing the Women's Premier League (WPL) and the IPL in the same calendar year.

JioStar expert Vinay, who took 80 wickets in 70 games for RCB at an average of 24.77 between 2008 and 2013 and is also the RCB Hall of Famer, said that the franchise has shifted from being dependent on their batting to achieving stability and power in their batting line-up and gaining balance across all the departments.

"RCB have played outstanding cricket this season and, unlike previous years when they were heavily dependent on batting, they are now playing as a team; they look like a complete side. Their middle order, with players like Tim David, Jitesh Sharma and Rajat Patidar, has added stability and power, which is crucial in T20 cricket," he said.

Vinay feels that for RCB, their "biggest difference" has been bowling, which has been disciplined at a batting-friendly venue of Chinnaswamy at Bengaluru.

"They stick to the basics and bowl stump-to-stump. Krunal Pandya's inclusion has also given balance to the side. That balance across departments is one of the main reasons RCB qualified early. If they continue to play this way and finish in the top two, they have a strong chance of reaching, and even winning, the final this year. Women have won two titles, so if men can do the same and win back-to-back, nothing like it," he added.

On the other clash of the playoffs stage, the eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR), he suggested a way to tackle a red-hot 15-year-old prodigy, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, saying that bowling wider lines and cramping him for room could help. He acknowledged Vaibhav's purple patch and advised bowlers to stick to their strengths while bowling to him.

"Vaibhav Suryavanshi is a tremendous talent and has been playing phenomenal cricket. But against an aggressive batter like him, bowlers need to stick to their basics and trust their strengths. If he is attacking hard, bowling wider lines or cramping him for room can be effective, along with using your variations," he said.

"At times, batters go through a purple patch where everything falls into place, and Vaibhav has enjoyed some of that momentum as well. But whenever bowlers get an opportunity against him, they need to capitalise on it and stick to their strengths," he added.

Vaibhav has scored 583 runs in 14 innings at an average of 41.64 and a strike rate of over 232, with a century and three fifties. He is the leading run-getter for RR and overall fifth-highest.

— ANI