BENGALURU: An inconsistent Royal Challengers Bengaluru would be eager to hit the turnaround button when it hosts Lucknow Super Giants, which will keep an eye on regular skipper KL Rahul’s fitness, in the IPL here on Tuesday.

The Royal Challengers are currently eighth on the table with two points from three matches, and alarmingly, their net run rate too has dipped to -0.71 after a heavy defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders here last week.

This is not to undermine the side under Faf du Plessis, who himself is struggling for big runs, but its ability to dish out consistent cricket is a matter of debate at this point.

Several reasons are there for that overbearing feeling. It starts with the RCB batting line-up in which Virat Kohli is the only constant with two fifties from three matches.

But du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green, who constitute the cream of RCB’s top and middle-order, have so far made up for a faltering coalition. It meant that RCB had to often rely on its late-order batters like Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat and Mahipal Lomror to add meat to the total.

The senior batters’ struggles have percolated to their bowling department too. Mohammed Siraj offers the most glaring example.

Siraj’s lack of bite has robbed RCB of a chance to take some early wickets in the Power Play and put the opposition under pressure, something he had done quite consistently during IPL 2023.