Here're the mistakes which RCB should avoid in IPL 2019
What's the story
Royal Challengers Bangalore will open their Indian Premier League 2019 campaign against defending champions Chennai Super Kings on March 23.
Virat Kohli-led RCB will be hoping to give a better account of themselves especially after two disastrous campaigns.
After reaching the final in IPL 2016, RCB failed to impress in the last two seasons.
Here are the mistakes which they should avoid this time.
Team selection
Kohli should pick his starting XI wisely
Virat Kohli has a decent squad at his disposal with several match-winners in their ranks.
Having said that, the 30-year-old needs to pick his XI wisely.
This was something where he failed last season.
RCB were often found with a bowler short, which limited Kohli's hands.
The franchise will need to get the balance right in the first couple of matches.
Over-dependence
RCB cannot afford to rely solely on Kohli and AB
The RCB batting has always been dependent on the world class duo of AB de Villiers and Kohli.
This has impacted them negatively on several occasions.
Both these stars will once again be the main assets in 2019, but the rest of the batting unit will need to rally around the two.
Players will need to deliver match-winning performances consistently.
Death bowling
RCB need to sort out death bowling issues
RCB were poor at the death with their bowling as they leaked runs aplenty.
They need to utilize the strength of someone like Tim Southee in crunch situations.
Kohli cannot afford to experiment at the death like he did last season.
To qualify for knock-outs, Kohli will need to have at least two senior bowlers doing well in the final phase.
Other mistakes
Both middle-order batting and fielding need improvement
The middle order will need to be decisive this season for RCB. Across seasons, this has been a problem area.
However, with the acquisition of Shimron Hetmyer and Shivam Dube, the Bengaluru outfit looks more settled in 2019. Batting collapses have to be avoided at any cost.
Another problem is the fielding. The ground fielding, in particular, needs to improve.