Why Bengaluru brings few home comforts for RCB

"No place like home, no place like Bengaluru." Royal Challengers Bengaluru tweeted this ahead of their first home game of IPL 2024, against Punjab Kings.

On the eve of the match, Virat Kohli batted for around 40 minutes at their practice session at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Kohli at his best is as much a batter to listen to as he is to watch. But on the day, the sound off the bat was nowhere close to his best. Most of the time, he did not middle the ball. Alzarri Joseph hurried him with the bouncer. Against the spinners, he tried to come down the ground or use the reverse sweep, but was beaten. A few attempted sixes landed well inside the boundary. In a way, this reflected RCB's story at their home ground over the years. The numbers suggest they have rarely been fully at home here.

Playing in Bengaluru, they have 40 wins and as many losses. Compare this with Chennai Super Kings at Chepauk - 46 wins and 19 losses - or Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede - 49 wins and 29 losses - and the difference is stark. Perhaps it is no coincidence that when they made the playoffs for three consecutive seasons, from 2020 to 2022, they did not play a single match at the Chinnaswamy.

The match against Kings on Monday is the first of three back-to-back home games for RCB. How they perform in these matches could very well decide their season.

They had a similar schedule last year as well, when the Karnataka assembly elections meant six of their first eight games were at home. Most teams would have seen that as an opportunity to get on a roll. But RCB could win only three of those. When they returned for their last home game of the season, they lost again.

This has been a recurring theme for them over the years, and the reason is they front load their batting, sometimes at the expense of their bowling. The 2023 season was no different as they continued struggling in the death overs, with both bat and ball. In their seven home games, they scored at 10.60 per over at the death, and conceded 12.07 per over.

The main issue with their batting was a misfiring middle order. While that was not specific to the Chinnaswamy, it got exposed at home even more. With Rajat Patidar injured, they tried Mahipal Lomror and Suyash Prabhudessai. In 14 innings, the two scored a combined 170 runs at an average of 14.16.

Shahbaz Ahmed and Dinesh Karthik's lean returns hindered them further. In six innings, Shahbaz scored a mere 42 runs at a strike rate of 107.69. Karthik had a stellar 2022 season, when he scored 330 runs at a strike rate of 183.33. In 2023, he managed only 140 runs at 134.61.

When it came to bowling, RCB were great in the powerplay, thanks to Mohammed Siraj. But it was the same old struggle at the death. Harshal Patel had forced his way into the Indian side on the basis of his death-bowling performances. But even he struggled at the Chinnaswamy, leaking 12 per over at the death. With Kings now, he might be feeling relieved that he has just one game at the Chinnaswamy this season, not seven.

The two times the RCB bowlers were able to defend a target at home last season was in afternoon games. In those matches, the usually flat surfaces of the Chinnaswamy did not assist stroke-making. Their upcoming three fixtures, though, are all night games.

RCB have tried to address the middle-order issue by trading Cameron Green from Mumbai Indians for a whopping INR 17.5 crore (US $2.1 million approx.). And with Patidar back, their batting looks much more balanced this season.

Anuj Rawat and Karthik's knocks against CSK are also a positive sign. Joining hands at 78 for 5, they added 95 off just 50 balls to help RCB post 173 for 6. While it was not sufficient in the end, their performance bodes well for the team.

But batting alone does not win you games at the Chinnaswamy, and RCB have first-hand experience. Last season, they lost to Lucknow Super Giants despite scoring 212, and to Gujarat Titans despite scoring 197.

Moreover, their spin attack looks the weakest it has been in years. Earlier, they had Yuzvendra Chahal holding his own on the small boundaries. This time, their two main spinners are Karn Sharma and Mayank Dagar. It is not going to be easy.

What can they do to begin to change their fortunes at home? If they have found an answer, we might get a first glimpse of it against Kings on Monday, but for now it seems like they have one more hole than they have plugs.