Virat Kohli has had quite a load in the run-scoring department: Reece Topley

Reece Topley, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's (RCB) pacer, emphasized the need for overseas batters to step up and support Virat Kohli, highlighting the latter’s significant workload in the batting department for the franchise in the ongoing 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Kohli has been the standout performer for RCB despite the team’s current position at ninth in the points table with four defeats in five games. It is worth noting that the former RCB captain is currently leading the Orange Cap list, having scored 316 runs at a strike rate of 146.29.

The ongoing season has been disappointing for captain Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, and Cameron Green. Du Plessis, who scored 730 runs from 14 matches last year, has scored 109 runs from five games this season. Maxwell has also struggled, having scored just 32 runs. Green, who joined RCB from Mumbai Indians (MI), failed to impress and was being utilized at both No.3 and No.5. In light of this, the lefty pacer is expecting the overseas batters to rediscover their form soon.
 
“You can take away the fact that it is the overseas batters (only) and you can probably say, Virat has had quite a load in the run-scoring department. I do not think anyone needs to be an expert to sort of look at everyone's performances and say they haven't been up to scratch and that's all aspects of the game, and obviously now we've had five games,” Topley said at the press conference as quoted by India Today.

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There's still an opportunity to qualify for the finals: Topley

The frontline seamer went on to say that there's plenty of time left in the season for the batters to stage a much-needed comeback. The English international further affirmed that RCB aspired to reach the finals at the initial stage, and they still hold that opportunity despite the setbacks.

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“The exciting part is that it's still relatively young into the tournament. There's a lot still to play for, and what is exciting is that there's a lot of time to turn that around and still showcase how good we are. At the start of the season, (the goal) is to qualify for the finals. So there's still an opportunity to do that, we're working hard to make that achievable,” the 30-year-old added ahead of the game against MI on Thursday.