How important is Harshal Patel to the RCB set-up?

The numbers for Harshal Patel haven’t exactly been like that of the 2021 edition of the tournament but nevertheless, he has put in a tough grind and the way he has been driving the team in the face of adversities has been a showdown worth mentioning.

On a night where the Challengers stuttered against an in-form Punjab Kings, it was another Harshal showdown that would help RCB to keep the Kings in check. Especially the final over from him was one of the reasons why RCB started believing in the possibility of a successful chase.

Despite failing to post the required number on the cards, Harshal’s impact on the ongoing edition of the tournament has been absolutely colossal. The medium-fast bowler has been a reliable partner to Josh Hazlewood at the death, and the duo has actually managed to put up a miserly display on nights that have been equally high and low.

The opening game for the Challengers against the Punjab Kings witnessed the entire bowling unit take a belting at the hands of Punjab’s power-hitters. However, the narrative was shortly going to change as they would strongly come back against the Kolkata Knight Riders and Harshal would play the perfect symphony of destruction with figures of 2 for 11 from 4 overs. He would also become the second RCB bowler to claim a double-wicket maiden in the antiquity of the IPL.

He would wring out another successful display against the Rajasthan Royals where he would rack up figures of 1 for 18 from his quota of 4 overs, choking the run-flow and dealing a serious dent on the soaring Royals.

Mumbai was next in the lines of his victims as he would dish out another screaming masterclass to rattle them out of contention. Numbers definitely define the modern fabric of cricket but there is an even bigger aspect to the slugfest of the 22 yards in the current days and it is the kind of impact that one has.

That is exactly why Harshal’s spells in 2022 have been a lot more crucial to the Royal Challengers Bangalore because instead of straightaway going for wickets, he has kept his nerve, stuck to a stringent line, varying his pace frequently and troubled the batters. His variegated arsenal of cutters has been used very effectively.

With just one fixture remaining in the group stages for the Challengers, it is important for him that he stays grounded and keeps on grinding out his best without thinking about what exactly can unfold. After all the best performers of the show so far must come together as the day of reckoning comes closer than ever. He is currently sitting on a tally of 18 wickets and has been one of the most glittering weapons in RCB's arsenal.