IPL 2021 is almost upon us as we are just a couple of weeks away from the domestic extravaganza hitting its stride.
The tournament will take flight with a blockbuster clash between defending champions, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings as the two teams will duke it out at Dubai on the 19th of September.
The following day will feature the likes of Royal Challengers Bangalore colliding with an ailing Kolkata Knight Riders in another thrilling contest.
Bangalore made some major changes for the second installation of the tournament, with half of their foreigners unavailable.
The new additions to RCB for IPL 2021
They onboarded the likes of Tim David, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dusmanth Chameera and George Garton to replace significant monikers like Adam Zampa, Kane Richardson, Jhye Richardson and Daniel Sams.
The contingent was forced to make another substitution as Indian all-rounder, Washington Sundar was sidelined with an injury. They introduced the likes of state cricketer, Akash Deep, to fill his vacuum.
Talking about the new signings, the team has done a sublime job as they will be able to savour the services of Chameera and Hasaranga, who were absolutely phenomenal against India.
Tim David has been in blistering form in the ongoing CPL while George Garton’s occasional bursts of brilliance have been significant enough to catch the eye.
The void that has been created by the absence of Zampa and Sundar
With all said and done, they will also be missing their former signings dearly, especially the likes of Washington Sundar and Adam Zampa.
Zampa hasn’t been a part of the first half of the tournament, considering how batting friendly Indian pitches were. However, things took a new turn with the fray shifted to the UAE.
Going by the last year’s experience, spinners played an industrious role in shaping up the fortunes of the tournament. With Chahal blowing hot and cold, Zampa could have been a valuable addition to the side.
Comparing him with Hasaranga’s recent successful showdown, one may fill that the void has been well plugged, but he faced an untested Indian side with half of its players being knocked out due to Covid. Only time will divulge how costly this miss can be.
Since we mentioned misses, Washington Sundar goes a long way in highlighting his absence. The all-rounder played six matches, garnered 31 runs and picked up three scalps.
The figures may not seem as overwhelming as you want them to. However, Sundar’s presence is about the impact that he creates while playing the game.
His addition provided RCB with the option to play with an additional batter or bowler, as he was capable of doing both in a pretty decent manner.
His exclusion will force the outfit to think about a substitute in the Indian colours, as foreigners won’t be able to pick up the exact void that this man left in the team. However, with the towering presence of ABD and the rollicking leadership offered by Kohli, the team will definitely come around these small misses.
