RCB bowlers need to pull their socks up

Harshal Patel, what with his economy of 7.66 and 19 scalps from 15 games, was one of the reasons for Royal Challengers Bangalore’s late push to the Eliminator last Indian Premier League season.

Perhaps the sample size is too small at this junction to raise a concern, but the Haryana paceman has bowled 11 overs for 129 runs (economy of 11.73) in exchange of four wickets this season.

Unsurprisingly, two of his worst games thus far have resulted in losses for RCB.

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Against Kolkata Knight Riders last week, Harshal conceded 38 runs in three overs at an economy of 12.66, and RCB were humiliated by 81 runs.

Against Lucknow Super Giants last night, Harshal conceded 48 runs in four overs at an economy of 12, and RCB were left ruing their one-wicket loss off the final ball.

Harshal looks a jaded version of himself, and it reflects in the way the ball is rolling out of his hand: the control seems to be lacking and the variations aren’t on point.

Even if you account for the fact that batters would have analysed his bowling from the previous season and figured him out a degree, this regression is unsettling.

What’s worse it renders RCB’s already-ailing bowling unit pedestrian.

Save for Mohammed Siraj, there aren’t many bowlers skipper Faf du Plessis can trust to do the job for the team, especially at a stadium with matchbox dimensions such as the M Chinnaswamy stadium.

This makes the wait for Josh Hazlewood even more agonising and losing Reece Topley to a freak shoulder injury frustrating.

Without this foreign experience, RCB had to bring on Wayne Parnell, who last played the IPL in 2014. While the South African scalped three wickets, he really wasn’t a standout. David Willey is nice when he gets into a rhythm but nothing more can be said in his favour.

So, RCB used these four pacers and Karn Sharma - the leg-spinner - as the Impact Player on Monday night.

LSG went from needing 108 from 54 balls to win the game off the last ball after Marcus Stoinis and Nicholas Pooran were done belittling them.

The turn of events were so peculiarly familiar that even Kohli, who has seen his fair share of come-from-behind wins at this stadium, was staring skywards for answers.

Typically, RCB’s bowling at the death is being offered as the reason for the loss, when the truth is RCB let slip in the middle overs. In fact, the last four overs between Siraj, Harshal and Parnell saw a mere 28 runs being scored for four wickets.

That’s world-class stuff. What isn’t is conceding 80 runs between overs 10 and 15, and 61 between overs 5 and 10.

“This is not a concern,” said Parnell when asked if death bowling was a concern. “We did rather well at the death, we were guilty of bowling too many deliveries in the slot in the middle overs. We couldn’t do much when everything those guys were hitting connected that clean.

“We don’t have to press the panic button yet, we need to revisit our strategy and see how we can bowl better in a ground as small as this. We need to trust ourselves at moments like this.”

Retrospectively, LSG were never out of the game, it only seemed so because RCB had put up a handsome 212. What LSG needed, however, was for RCB’s bowlers to let their guard down and for some luck to go their way. Dew and the small venue would take care of the rest.

RCB chuffed about a bit much, and then Harshal missed a Mankading attempt of Ravi Bishnoi, and Dinesh Karthik fumbled on the last delivery. But the real folly lies in the belief that RCB’s bowling unit can hold its own under duress. They haven't inspired confidence yet.