Success is not merely the attainment of goals, but the journey of resilience, determination and growth to pursue these goals!
Well, the women from Royal Challengers Bangalore proved the aforementioned in abundance by surmounting to their first WPL title on Sunday evening beating the Delhi Capitals by a whopping eight wickets.
The healthy sprinkling of spectators at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi were rather left in dismay seeing their home team capitulate without offering a semblance of a fight.
RCB’s determination and resilience to conquer all odds undoubtedly paid dividends with the mighty Australian in Ellyse Perry, the orange cap holder leading the way, amassing 347 runs in nine games at an astonishing average of 69.40.
She was ably supported by her compatriot par excellence in Shreyanka Patil who won the purple cap enroute toconquering 13 wickets in the tournament.
Certainly, a case of where there is a will, there has to be a way.
But as the pendulum gravitates towards the men’s Indian Premier League for the soon-to-begin 2024 edition, the charismatic members of the RCB unit will be raring to go.
Yes, Francois du Plessis, the captain of RCB and his chargers have been so close to lifting this money-spinning tournament albeit yet so far.
A feeling of déjà vu that this bond of cricket has felt on countless occasions with the same holding true for his nation, South Africa in ICC tournaments.
So, as we enjoy the success of the women from RCB, the question that beckons every Bangalore faithful is can the men emulate the same accomplishment?
Well, as the author of this piece and an intrepid Francois fan, the answer is yes and here’s why:
RCB’s batting and bowling looks formidable
RCB undoubtedly boasts one of the strongest batting lineups in the IPL with Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik, all stalwarts in their own right, being ably led by their wing commander in Faf du Plessis who is in an unquenchable need of winning a trophy to justify his shrewd and tactful leadership.
These set of batters with their experience and tenacity, when they come together which happens more often than not, a total of 200 is always on the cards.
The bowling also looks top notch with the speedsters from India’s best in Mohammed Siraj being ably complemented with some of the best from the world in Lockie Ferguson, Alzarri Joseph and the towering Englishman, Reece Topley.
Addition of Cameron Green, a blessing for RCB
The world has witnessed the rise of one of the best talents with his unparalleled all-round ability in Cameron Donald Green hailing from the shores down under.
The Australian has been a breath of fresh air to carve his niche as Australia’s leading all-rounder in all formats of the game,having already won an ODI World Cup in his nascent yet purposeful career.
Having surmounted two centuries in the pinnacle of the game, test cricket and showing his aggressive approach with both ball and bat in the shortest format mounting 18 international wickets and two half centuries at a monstrous strike rate of 174, this young Aussie is certainly a welcome addition to team RCB with both ball and bat in the 2024 season.
Virat Kohli needs an IPL trophy in his list of accomplishments
Greatness when demonstrated in silverware is surely something that people talk about for decades to come.
Ask the most fervent cricketer of this era and he will undoubtedly agree!
Well, Virat Kohli for all his list of unimaginable accomplishments in all three formats for team India and in the shortest format for RCB, still hasn’t been able to win silverware for his beloved IPL team.
The lack of a final hurrah in the IPL is a tough pill to swallow for this enigma and may be, just may be this season he intends to change it.
The motivation is aplenty having been part of RCB since the inception of IPL in 2008, albeit failing to conquer the last mile and more so the desire to represent team India in the upcoming T20 World Cup.
What’s better than accomplishing both the aforementioned objectives with churning those priceless runs from his bat and soaring to some silverware in the twilight of his career.
With all the ingredients in place for a fruitful IPL seasonahead and more so with the women already accomplishing the feat, Francois and his chargers must bring the trophy home asnothing less will suffice to conquer the endless wait.
Then and only then will the Garden City rejoice in true greenery!
Image source– Royal Challengers Bengaluru Twitter/X
