With 11 points from 9 matches, the Royals seemed well on course to a berth in the final four. But twin losses to the Chennai Super Kings has put them in a spot of bother. A loss to Bangalore would not be the end of the road, but would make it a lot more difficult considering have a game against Mumbai Indians in Mumbai. The form of their batsmen, especially the overseas stars has been a cause of concern. Shane Watson and Ross Taylor have played the odd good knock but the Royals would and should expect a lot more from them. Ajinkya Rahane was promoted to number 3 in the last match and the youngster made good use of it, helping himself to a well made half century. Rajasthan would expect their batsmen to do a much better job, especially if the match is played on a batting beauty like in the last match against Chennai.
Despite conceding a massive 190 odd runs in the previous game, the Royals don't have much to worry about in the bowling department. In Warne, Botha and Menaria, the Royals have a settled spin unit and has been well complemented by a decent medium pace unit in Watson and Trivedi. But they would have to make sure that they don't have any more off-days, for they will be up against a strong batting line up which boasts of Gayle, Kohli and de Villiers.
Chris Gayle, That is the name associated with anything to do with Royal Challengers ever since he was signed. He has played 5 matches for the Bangalore franchise and has won the Man of the Match award thrice. His contributions does not stop with the two centuries - he has been a more than useful bowler and has brought along a visible change in body language among his teammates. RCB are sitting pretty on a 5 match winning streak but would like to seal their berth in this game. Dilshan will be playing his last game and his absence will add more pressure on Gayle in the upcoming matches. Pujara injured himself while fielding in the previous game but the form of Kolhi and AB de Villiers should give the Bangalore side enough confidence to tackle any situation.
Bangalore's bowling has improved leaps and bounds from the initial stages. Zaheer Khan is looking more and more like the bowler he is. Vettori has been economical throughout and struck some vital blows in their game against Kochi. But the biggest positive comes in the form of S Aravind - the medium pacer has been economical and among the wickets in the last 2 games and adds strength to the pace unit. The bowling has been backed by the fielding. The likes of Kaif, Kohli and Dilshan have made the bowling look even more lethal with some tremendous efforts on the field.
The Royals need the victory much more than Bangalore. Their fortress has just been stormed by the Chennai Superkings, but Warne's boys will be determined to give him a good farewell. His journey with the Royals has been a fascinating one and deserves a good finish. But even the great Warne will not be able to do anything, if one Mr. Chris Gayle decides to spoil the party.
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