They suffered a chastening defeat on their last visit to the Wankhede, and resolved to become an entirely different team
Sampath Bandarupalli06-Apr-2025Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have had quite a horror run at the Wankhede Stadium, the venue for their next match against Mumbai Indians. Their last six games there against MI, since 2016, have all ended in defeat. Five of them were by substantial margins, including the last two matches, in which MI successfully chased 190-plus targets with more than 20 balls remaining.Related
The last of those defeats, in 2024, seems to have been a wake-up call that has prompted a significant change in RCB’s approach to batting. In that game, RCB scored 196, which looked like a challenging total, but MI chased it down with 27 balls to spare.Following that defeat, Faf du Plessis, RCB’s then captain, acknowledged that the team needed to push harder with its batting to create a cushion for bowlers to defend totals in dewy conditions. “At the moment, it feels like, from a batting perspective, we have to try and push for 220 to have a chance. The scores that we put on the board are probably going to be the only way we are going to get into the competition.”
Clearly, RCB took that feedback seriously. In 20 innings from the start of the 2023 season till that Wankhede game, RCB had topped 200 only twice; in 13 instances when they batted first, they had achieved it only once. That Wankhede defeat triggered a dramatic change in those numbers: in the next nine games that season, they passed 200 six times, and also chased a target of 148 in 13.4 overs. They also successfully chased a 200-plus target for the first time since 2010.The results didn’t go their way immediately. They lost despite scoring 262 (chasing 288, against Sunrisers Hyderabad) and 221 (chasing 223, against Kolkata Knight Riders), but even in defeats, they embraced the new template: against SRH, they scored 79 runs in the powerplay, their joint-highest score in that phase and their best six-over total in 13 years.When the wins started coming, they didn’t seem to stop. RCB went on to win six consecutive matches to secure a playoffs spot, starting with a victory in Hyderabad. They became only the second team to win their final six league matches in an IPL season, following KKR in 2014. RCB’s aggressive intent in the 2024 season has continued into their first three games of IPL 2025.
The change that paved the way for the batting take-off
Throughout IPL 2023 and until the Wankhede game in IPL 2024, RCB’s run rate was 9.09, which ranked seventh among all teams. Their win-loss ratio of 0.666 was the third lowest in the league. This trend continued when they batted first, averaging 9.06 runs per over, with their win-loss record being the worst among the ten teams.
However, after the Wankhede game, RCB’s run rate in the IPL has risen dramatically to 10.65 over the 12 matches they have played, the highest of all ten teams. They have won eight of those matches, and their win-loss ratio has only been surpassed by Delhi Capitals (3.000 – 9 wins, 3 losses) and KKR (2.500 – 10 wins, 4 losses).Their performance while batting first has also improved, with an average of 9.92 runs per over, placing them fourth in this category. Their two losses while batting first during this period have come while defending totals below 180. Only DC has a better record than RCB, winning five out of six matches while defending totals.The recent change in RCB’s batting approach has stemmed from the players’ commitment to aggression – they have attacked 46.54% of the balls they have faced in these 12 matches, slightly behind the top team by this metric, KKR (46.94%). Before this, RCB’s aggressive intent percentage was 38.3%, ranking sixth among the ten teams. Even while batting first, this percentage has increased to 42.09% from 36.53%.
RCB has adopted a risky strategy, opting to play more lofted shots. Their batters have lofted 28.87% of the balls they have faced in these 12 matches, putting them ahead of all other teams. SRH is in second place at 25.28%.This aggressive batting has made RCB the best boundary-hitting team in the league – they have hit a boundary every four balls and taken 9.4 balls per six, which are the best ratios of all teams in this period. However, this risk-taking also means that RCB’s batters have not always been in control. Since that defeat at the Wankhede in 2024, their control percentage stands at 70.91%, the second lowest in the league, just behind KKR’s 68.08%.
Putting the Impact Player to use
“I am telling you, one extra batter is the reason why I am playing with a 200-plus strike rate in the powerplay. I know there is a batsman coming in at No. 8 as well.”These were Virat Kohli’s words to the official broadcaster during IPL 2024, discussing his game and the impact player rule. Although the rule was implemented at the beginning of 2023, RCB’s aggressive batting style didn’t fully emerge until after six matches of the 2024 season.
In their 12 matches since, they have achieved four of the franchise’s top six powerplay totals in the IPL, including the top three scores. On average, RCB have lost 6.5 wickets per match during this period and 7.29 wickets per innings when batting first. This contrasts with their earlier efforts, when they lost only 5.62 wickets per innings while batting first and lost 5.95 wickets per match.These statistics indicate that RCB are showing greater confidence in their batting depth. Previously, only three teams lost fewer wickets per match than RCB, but now they rank joint-third in terms of wickets lost per match despite being the fastest-scoring team in the league.
Intent despite the fall of wickets
RCB’s batters have shown little interest in playing conservatively since that defeat at the Wankhede. Instead, they have aggressively targeted the opposition even while losing wickets. In the two overs following a wicket, RCB batters have attacked 43.17% of the balls they have faced, the highest percentage among all ten teams since that MI-RCB match at Wankhede.This aggressive intent has proven effective for RCB. Their strike rate in the 12 balls after losing a wicket has been 155.99, over ten runs per 100 balls better than the next-best team, Delhi Capitals, who have struck at 144.76. Both teams also lead the league in this metric while batting first, with strike rates of 156.11 for RCB and 144.92 for DC.
Interestingly, DC and RCB had some of the lowest strike rates in the 12 balls after the loss of a wicket from April 2023 to April 11, 2024. RCB had a strike rate of just 125.36 during that period, indicating a more conservative approach. They were ahead only of DC (113.49) and Lucknow Super Giants (121.13).
Contributions at the top and the middle
Across their last 12 matches, six batters from RCB have contributed over 150 runs. Five of them have six struck at over 160, with Kohli being the exception, but he is still going at 159.20. It is worth noting that all six batters have averaged at least 25.In contrast, in their 20 previous matches, six players scored over 150 runs, with Glenn Maxwell (171.72) being the only one to strike at over 160. Only two players from that group, Kohli and Faf du Plessis, averaged 25 or more.
This shift indicates that RCB’s new aggressive batting strategy has been supported by consistent contributions from more batters rather than relying solely on a few individuals. The top three batters accounted for 62.67% of the runs scored in the 20 matches leading up to the Wankhede defeat, a figure only surpassed by the Gujarat Titans’ top three, who contributed 64.12%.RCB’s batters prioritised preserving wickets back then, consuming 62.68% of the team’s total balls. However, since adopting a more aggressive strategy, their top three batters now contribute only 52.77% of the team’s runs, almost ten percentage points less than before.But over the last 12 matches, players batting at No. 4 and lower have significantly increased their contribution for RCB, accounting for 47.23% of the team’s runs while facing 46.17% of the balls. During this period, these batters have maintained a strike rate of 170.25; nine higher than the next-best team. Previously, the strike rate for RCB batters outside the top three was only 143.80, placing them sixth.
The recent match against GT exemplified RCB’s new approach. Despite the pitch offering support to pace bowlers, the RCB batters chose to be aggressive rather than adopt a waiting game. Consequently, even after losing their top four batters by the seventh over, RCB finished at 169 for 8, although this total wasn’t sufficient.The new trio in RCB’s middle order has so far shown support to their top order of Kohli, Phil Salt – who has taken up du Plessis’ role at the top – and Rajat Patidar. Contributions from Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, and Tim David were key to RCB scoring 120 off their last 12 overs against GT after they were four down for 49 in eight overs.All this suggests that RCB are well-prepared to return to the Wankhede to end their losing streak there against the home team. They have already broken one losing streak in IPL 2025 by defeating Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk for the first time since 2008. That victory was also achieved through this aggressive approach on a challenging pitch, as they scored 196 for 7 and won by 50 runs.