Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have won four out of their seven IPL 2023 matches so far. All the victories have been scripted either by the top order batters or the bowlers.

RCB’s middle and lower order is looking fragile this time around as they have failed to step up to the plate on multiple occasions.

Despite the onslaught from Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell against CSK, RCB failed 8 runs short of CSK’s target of 227 as middle order batters couldn’t rise to the occasion. The story was same against PBKS as half-centuries from Du Plessis and Virat Kohli took RCB to 174/4, which turned out to be enough in the end as they emerged victorious by 24 runs.

On Sunday (April 23), Du Plessis and Maxwell slammed fifties to propel RCB to 189/9 against RR, who fell 7 runs short of the target.

After the game, former England skipper Michael Vaughan pointed out how RCB didn’t do well in the auction and lacked a batter at 6 and 7.

“When Yuzvendra Chahal went to Rajasthan, they didn’t get their auction planning right. Clearly, they are top heavy, they’ve got these three outstanding players at the top. Then they have got DK who comes in for the last eight balls, that’s his contract,” said Vaughan while speaking to Cricbuzz.

“They would have been better off keeping Yuzi Chahal, saving the money they spent on Hasaranga and buying a number 5 or number 6, a striker. The hardest place to bat in T20 cricket is 5, 6 and 7. There are a lot of players in world cricket that can bat at 1, 2 and 3 in T20s but not many successful ones at 5,6 and 7,” he added.

Vaughan then named a couple of batters that the Bangalore-based franchise could have signed at the auction.

“RCB need someone like a Jitesh Sharma, someone who just goes out there and launches from ball 1, or Shimron Hetmyer or Nicholas Pooran. That style of player coming in at 5 or 6 is what RCB need. In terms of batting, that’s the purest batting line-up that you could come up with in T20 cricket,” he opined.