Virender Sehwag criticised RCB batters for their poor shot selection during their five-wicket loss to Punjab Kings.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s struggles at home continued as they suffered their third consecutive defeat at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in the ongoing IPL 2025 season. On Friday, RCB went down to Punjab Kings in a rain-affected clash, losing by five wickets. The result pushed Punjab to second place on the points table, while Bengaluru dropped to fourth, facing more questions over their misfiring batting lineup.
Former India opener Virender Sehwag did not hold back in his criticism, particularly targeting RCB’s senior players like Virat Kohli and Rajat Patidar for failing to show game awareness.
“RCB batted poorly. All of them played reckless shots to get out. Not a single batter was out to a good ball. At least one batter should’ve used common sense. If they had wickets in hand, they could have reached 110 or 120 in 14 overs, which would have given them a chance to fight,” Sehwag said while speaking on Cricbuzz.
RCB struggled to build partnerships and were dismissed for just 96 runs. The Punjab Kings’ bowlers—Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Marco Jansen, and Harpreet Brar—each took two wickets, but Sehwag felt the batters gifted their wickets away.
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“There is difference between getting wickets and earning wickets,” he remarked. Batting has been a consistent issue for RCB at home this season. Despite some promising performances from captain Rajat Patidar, the rest of the batting unit has not lived up to expectations. Sehwag pointed out that Patidar must take responsibility to turn things around.
“Patidar has to think and come up with a solution. They have not been winning at home. Their bowlers are doing well but why are their batters faltering regularly? It’s not alright if your batters continuously fail at home. Who is going to rectify that?” Sehwag questioned.
With their next game looming, RCB will need to reflect quickly and come up with answers if they hope to revive their campaign and deliver in front of their home fans.
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