RCB's Major Weaknesses Exposed Despite IPL 2026 Win Vs CSK

RCB's weaknesses exposed vs CSK [Source: AP]

Heading into the IPL 2026, RCB were the defending champions, and the Rajat Patidar-led side showed why they won the tournament last year, as the Red Army thrashed SRH and CSK in back-to-back matches to announce its intentions. So far, RCB has played two matches at home, and has been near flawless with their performance.

RCB were without their best bowler, Josh Hazlewood, in the opening two fixtures, and in spite of this, the side thrashed SRH and CSK to sit at the top of the IPL points table.

However, despite two resounding wins, the team still has quite a few chinks in its armour, which were hidden due to their stellar performances in the two matches. No IPL team is perfect, and RCB also has few grey areas ahead of their next fixture against Rajasthan Royals.

Ahead of the blockbuster match vs RR on Friday, here are the 3 problems RCB must address to continue their winning run.

1) The Phil Salt problem for RCB

The pair of Virat Kohli and Phil Salt has been devastating in the IPL as the duo was crucial in their 2025 title-winning campaign. However, since the start of the T20 World Cup, Salt’s form has been a cause of worry for the franchise.

In the first match of the season against SRH, Salt scored only 8 off 7 balls, but the swashbuckling batter was expected to do well against CSK. In the high-octane match on Sunday, Salt struggled in the initial few overs, as pressure mounted on Kohli to play aggressively.

The RCB opener managed to score 46 off 30 balls, but it was a scratchy knock by his lofty standards. The right-handed batter has not been in the best of nick, and RCB would hope that the Englishman can find some form against Rajasthan Royals in their next IPL match.

2) The 5th bowling option issue for RCB

In the absence of their star bowler, Josh Hazlewood, RCB has done fairly well, but despite all the success, RCB’s biggest chinks lies in their 5th bowling option.

Currently, the team has Jacob Duffy, Suyash Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Krunal Pandya as the lead bowlers. The 5th bowling option duty has been shared by Abhinandan Singh, and Romario Shepherd, and this is where the problem lies.

(Abhinandan and Shepherd vs CSK)

• Abhinandan bowled well towards the end of the CSK innings, but he was taken to the cleaners in his initial 10 deliveries. Abhinandan Singh certainly has the potential, but he is too raw at the moment.
• On the other hand, Shepherd picked up 3 wickets vs SRH, but he was expensive in his spell. Similarly, against CSK, the West Indian only bowled a solitary over, and went for 19 runs as he looked clueless.
• This is RCB’s biggest headache heading into the IPL 2026 match against Rajasthan Royals, as the team needs to find a way to stop containing runs in the middle-overs.

Also Read: Virat Kohli Dismissively Rejects RCB Fans' Big Demand Vs CSK

3) Inability to contain runs after powerplay

RCB won its opening two matches, but even in the victories, RCB’s bowling had a glaring pattern: They managed to dismiss the top order in both matches, but allowed the middle-order batters to score runs.

Against SRH, RCB bowlers managed to dismiss their key batters- Travis Head, Abhishek Sharma, and Nitish Reddy. However, after the power play, the Orange Army ran away with the contest as RCB failed to contain the flow of runs post the 6-over mark.

Similarly, against CSK, RCB knocked over Sanju Samson, Ayush Mhatre, and Ruturaj Gaikwad, but the middle-order batters frustrated them.

This is one grey area the team needs to address before the crucial IPL clash against the Royals on Friday.

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