Former India cricketer Ambati Rayudu has blamed the senior players of Royal Challengers Bengaluru for their trophy-less cabinet in the Indian Premier League (IPL).
RCB lost their second home game in a row against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday in Match 15 of IPL 2024 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
The Bengaluru franchise is one among three in the league which has not won the IPL title till date despite playing since the inaugural edition, with the other two being the Delhi Capitals and Punjab Kings.
Rayudu blasts RCB seniors
And Rayudu blames it on RCB's team combination which has always remained top-heavy with superstar batters like Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell in their ranks but they have struggled down the order due to inexperience.
"RCB's bowlers always concede over par runs and their batting unit performs under par," Rayudu told Star Sports after RCB lost to LSG on Tuesday.
Lack of experience in middle & lower order
"Who are all batting in pressure situations? The young Indian batters and Dinesh Karthik. The big international names, who are supposed to take the pressure, where are they? All are back in the dressing room," Rayudu said after RCB failed to chase down 182 in 20 overs against KL Rahul's LSG.
"Sixteen years. This is the same story of RCB, when there is pressure, no big name is ever found standing.
"All youngsters are playing at the back-end and all the big guns bat at the top of the order and they whip off the cream from the cake and that is the reason this team has never won IPL," said the 38-year-old mercurial cricketer who played 55 ODIs and six T20Is for India between 2013 and 2019.