Virat Kohli is scoring runs faster than ever – so why are RCB in trouble?

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) need to address several issues soon to ensure that their IPL title defense in 2026 remains on track after a worrying dip in form mid-season.They are about to face off mumbai indians Raipur’s game has become important for the red and gold team after consecutive losses to Gujarat Titans and Lucknow Supergiants. RCB are currently fourth in the table with six wins and four losses, and their remaining four games could decide the course of their season.One of the main issues is the performance degradation of intermediate orders. RCB got off to a strong start with Phil Salt firmly in the top three; Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkar. They also have a plethora of batting options including captain Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd and Tim David.In the first five games, RCB batsmen No. 4 to No. 8 have averaged 39.30 and scored 190.77, both the best among the teams. They hit 23 fours and 33 sixes and scored 2 50s. But over the next five games, the numbers dropped dramatically. Goals per game dropped to 21, the worst of any team during that period, while shooting percentage dropped to 148.58. There were only 50 runs in that phase, with 23 fours and 23 sixes scored.Salter’s injury also hurt the team. He played 6 games and scored 202 runs at an average of 33.66 and a strike rate of 168.33, including two fifties, before a finger injury forced him to return to England. RCB is yet to reveal many details about the injury.In Salter’s absence, Jacob Besser was given the chance to take the top job. Besser created a sensation after scoring a century in the T20 World Cup semi-final against India at Wankhede Stadium, but his performance in the IPL has been poor, scoring just 43 runs in four innings, with a highest score of 20. Romario Sheppard’s season didn’t go as planned either. Although known for his batting ability, he only scored 79 runs in six innings with an average of 26.33 and a strike rate of 143.63. His best score was 23 not out. In the last game against LSG, he faced Digvesh Rathi’s spin in the final over and got stuck chasing 20 runs.His bowling was also poor. Shepard took only 5 wickets in 9 games with an average of 44.00, an economy rate of 12.94 and a strike rate of 20.40. Among pacers with at least 5 wickets this season, he has the second-worst economy rate, behind only Shardul Thakur’s 13.57.Jitesh Sharma also had a tough campaign. After a strong season last year, the wicketkeeper-batsman scored just 64 runs in eight innings with an average of 8.00, a strike rate of 108.47 and a best of 23. His struggles often forced Tim David and Romario Shepard to hit the ball earlier than expected.RCB also failed to get the expected return from Josh Hazlewood. Nicknamed “Hazle Gold” for his ability to perform in pressure situations, Hazlewood took nine wickets in seven games at an average of 28.77 and an economy rate of 9.41, including a four-wicket haul.But his numbers were much weaker in the games RCB lost. In this season’s defeat, Hazlewood took just three wickets with an average of 62.33 and an economy rate of 11.68.The spin department is also in trouble. Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma performed well in the first five games, with the RCB spinner taking 11 wickets at an average of 27.63 and an economy rate of 9.21. In the next five games, they managed just five wickets, with their bowling average rising to 42.16 and strike rate of 30, the worst in the period. The only improvement was in the economy rate, which dropped to 8.2.Krunal took 10 wickets in 10 games at an average of 27.00 and an economy rate of 8.30, while Suyash took 7 wickets in 9 games at an average of 38.42 and an economy rate of 8.45. But RCB need their wickets, not just possession.Virat Kohli’s aggressive batting style has also become a talking point. Kohli’s strike rate and six-hits have improved significantly since IPL 2024. This season, he has scored 379 runs in 10 games at a strike rate of 164.06, his highest score in an IPL season, along with three fifties.But RCB’s results suggest that his wickets have become more important than ever. According to ESPNCricinfo, since the start of IPL 2024, Kohli has played 40 innings, of which 20 have involved more than 30 balls. RCB won 18 of these games and lost only 2. In the other 20 innings in which he was dismissed within 30 balls, RCB lost 14 and won just six.In all four defeats this season, Kohli has faced less than 30 balls. He scored 0 and 28 points against LSG and GT respectively, while RCB lost by 9 runs and were eliminated with 155 runs. He scored 19 against Delhi Capitals before being dismissed by Lungi Ngidi, after which RCB gradually ran out of steam and ended at 175/8. Kohli scored 32 runs in the loss to Rajasthan Royals before losing the third wicket to Ravi Bishnoi for 58 runs. RCB slipped to 125/7 before a mid-order recovery took them to 200.RCB has enough Indian and overseas batting options to adapt to different match situations, but Kohli remains a key figure in the batting line-up.Of RCB’s 1,862 runs this season, 896 (48.12%) have occurred when Kohli is on the field. His presence often helps the batsmen at the other end to play with more freedom, knowing that Kohli can control the innings. That’s why his wickets have become so important to RCB’s results this season.