It was only to be expected that Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s landmark Indian Premier League title victory last year would be a roller-coaster of emotions followed by an utterly tragic stampede.
A passionate team finally ended the titleless run, with Virat Kohli in a sense of fulfilment — as the master batsman was able to lay his hands on the only trophy not in his cabinet.
Last season, the RCB held firm until the end, finishing second in the league stage then winning both the first playoff and the final — again against Punjab Kings.
But this season, the Bengaluru team seems to be in even better shape.
True, it is still early days but after dominant victories in the first two games against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings, Patidar’s side is starting to get his supporters’ hopes up.
So can RCB join only Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians as the third team in history to successfully defend the IPL?
And trying to predict a winner on the basis of early results of a league as competitive as the IPL would be downright foolish.
But this RCB, one feels, has the arsenal to put in a serious title challenge.
All-round depth
Be it the phenomenal batting exploits of Kohli, Chris Gayle and Ab de Villiers that lifted RCB fans to dizzying heights.
But until last year, the team was plagued by heartbreak after heartbreak because of imbalance.
They managed to get combinations right last year, this season it’s not only their batting but also their bowling looks solid.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Jacob Duffy are wicket-taking threats with the new ball. Krunal Pandya is a hugely experienced spinner who could also play an important role with the bat. Romario Shepherd also adds plenty of firepower in both the bowling and departments. The West Indian, a lower-order batter who is dangerous in his own right but has a propensity for snaring key wickets with his medium pace.
Solid middle-order
In the first match against Sunrisers, Bengaluru gave a warning shot to the title rivals by chasing down 201 with 26 balls remaining,
Chasing with Kohli anchoring the innings scoring a fantastic 69 from 38 balls, Devdutt Padikkal whose fast hitting showed like a ray of light on this dark night scoring a blistering 61 from just 26 balls.
The left-handed Padikkal is a genuine asset at number three, an eye-catching shot-maker whose game hinges upon sound technique.
Patidar is batting with a lot of freedom at number four, showcasing some amazing stroke play.
Finally, Tim David, at number five against Chennai scored an astounding 70 off 25 balls (8 sixes). He can throttle attacks at the death of an innings.
This is a middle-order that will be a massive headache for captains on the other side this season.
The Kohli factor
Whereas Patidar has been a steady influence as team captain, it’s Kohli who leads the pack.
It may just be that loads of experience this great cricketer has under his name, comes in handy during crunch situations as the team will play for a position in playoffs.
A god in the dressing room, Kohli is batting to as high a standard as he ever has done in white-ball cricket.
He was foxed by a short ball from Chennai’s Anshul Kamboj on Sunday, ending what could have been another big innings.
The 37-year-old was batting in beautiful form till he perished for 28 with the mistimed pull off Kamboj.
As all great champions do, Kohli’s defining quality is his ability to learn from mistakes.
If he had the occasional failures over the years, but for all-time leading run-scorer in international cricket seems hungry for another golden run with the bat.
The impact he can have as an opener and the partnership he’ll form with Phil Salt at the top of the order might just provide RCB with the run-up from which they can mount a serious challenge for their second IPL title in succession, having waited 17 years between trophy wins.