In recent observations, former Indian pacer Varun Aaron expressed his concern that domestic players in the Royal Challengers Bangalore team need to elevate their game to reduce the heavy reliance on star player Virat Kohli. During the current IPL season, Kohli has been a consistent performer, currently leading as the Orange Cap holder with 361 runs across 7 innings, boasting a strike rate of 147.34 with a top score of 113 not out.
Speaking with Star Sports, the 34-year-old Aaron, who retired from first-class cricket earlier this year, emphasized the lack of rhythm within the RCB camp, pointing out the underperformance of the domestic players. “It’s just that RCB are not finding the rhythm; the domestic players are just not stepping up,” said Aaron. He stressed the importance of collective performance, especially from domestic talent, to climb higher on the leaderboard or at least maintain a mid-table position.
Aaron criticized the franchise for not fully utilizing their investments, highlighting financial mismanagement in player utilization. “The other guys have to step up, and also all their money is sitting in the dug-out. You can’t spend that much cash on players and not have them play,” he added.
The discussion about the dependency on Kohli was further supported by Australia’s former limited-overs captain, Aaron Finch. Finch suggested that RCB’s strategy should include enhancing their batting lineup to provide better support for Kohli. He noted, “Virat is playing well; that genuinely carries the rest of the players with him. They just need to find a partnership with him, they need to find an explosive middle-order player who is in form.”
This commentary came ahead of the crucial match against Kolkata Knight Riders at Eden Gardens on Sunday. Finch also reflected on the broader IPL landscape by commenting on Travis Head’s impressive 89-run knock for Sunrisers Hyderabad against Delhi Capitals, which Finch attributed to Head removing the “fear of failure” from his mindset.
On a similar note, Finch lauded seamer T. Natrajan’s performance in a high-scoring match between the Sunrisers and the Capitals, where Natrajan secured remarkable figures of 4 for 19. Finch regretted that Natrajan’s effort came too late in the game to earn him the Man-of-the-Match award, noting that the timing of his wickets—coming at the death—undercut his chances despite the impressive statistics.
To round out his comments, Finch addressed the fielding conditions, agreeing with insights from Pat Cummins about the wicket slowing down and becoming more conducive for slower bowlers as the game progressed—a factor that played into the strategic hands of the bowling team but ultimately wasn’t enough to sustain a winning momentum.
As the IPL season progresses, the spotlight will remain on RCB and their ability to form a cohesive unit that does not rely solely on Kohli’s brilliance but showcases the collective potential and firepower of its domestic and international players alike.