IPL 10, Match 31, RCB v GL Preview: Desperate teams to battle it out for survival

The Royal Challengers Bangalore have a stiff task ahead of them. They need to win almost all their remaining fixtures to make it to the playoffs. The recent times have not been the most fruitful for the RCB camp. To make things worse for them, the rain gods washed their encounter against the Sunrisers Hyderabad. They are desperate to get a win under their name.

They now take on the Gujarat Lions – a team that has had similar fortunes in the tournament. Both teams are the batting heavyweights on paper. However, neither of the two camps has seen the batting might take the game away from the other thus far. The last time these two sides met in the tournament this year was at Rajkot. It was RCB who had toppled the Lions by 21 runs on the day.

Coming into this game, both sides have faced a defeat int their previous match. The RCB camp had a more embarrassing outing as they were bundled out for just 49. It is interesting to note that the match might well be a battle of the bowlers rather than the batsmen. The batsmen are sure to succeed on the wicket at Bengaluru. However, with two bowling lineups that have struggled in the tournament facing one another, expect the one showing maturity on the day to call the shots in the match.

Toss: Gujarat Lions won the toss and opted to field

Virat Kohli: The situation is pretty similar to last year. It is important to step up and play the cricket we are supposed to play. We were looking to bat first. Batting second has been difficult. It is not a bad thing to be batting first. Tymal has just had a niggle in his back, so Travis Head takes his place. Binny misses out, Aniket comes in.

Suresh Raina: We gonna bowl first. We practised last night. There was a lot of dew there. So, it is better to bat first. Our bowling has been a bit of a surprise for us. They haven’t bowled well in the first 6 overs. Faulkner comes in, we have Basil. Nath, Smith miss out.

Playing XI:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli(c), Mandeep Singh, AB de Villiers, Travis Head, Kedar Jadhav(w), Pawan Negi, Samuel Badree, Sreenath Aravind, Yuzvendra Chahal, Aniket Choudhary

Gujarat Lions: Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina(c), Dinesh Karthik(w), Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, James Faulkner, Andrew Tye, Nathu Singh, Basil Thampi, Ankit Soni

Focus will be on

Dinesh Karthik

Gujarat Lions wicket-keeper Dinesh Karthik became the first wicket-keeper to complete 100 dismissals in the IPL history. He has been decent behind the stumps with his glovework. His batting has been quite impressive too. He has a couple of scores of 40s in the tournament. But is definitely due for a big one. In the previous game, he hit an unbeaten fifty as well but failed to take his side over the line in the game. Amidst this backdrop, the veteran keeper needs to ensure that he backs up his fifty with another good score in this particular game.

Virat Kohli

RCB skipper Virat Kohli is a big match player. At the moment, he is certainly hurt with the way his team succumbed to a new low in the previous outing. In the game against the Knight Riders, Kohli was dismissed for a golden duck which is a rarity for a player like him. Prior to that, he had two fifties coming into the tournament. The opening batsman is definitely not short on good form. However, it is the length of his stay at the crease that has been the point of discussion. Given the poor run of the other batsmen in the lineup, Kohli has to step up and shoulder more responsibility.

Suresh Raina

Gujarat Lions skipper Suresh Raina would know the importance of this particular game. The Lions lost against the Kings XI Punjab and now see themselves in the bottom half of the points table. Needless to say, skipper Raina will have to lead from the front. The team looks like the best batting side on paper but have failed to translate it with their performances in the field. Considering the inconsistency of the batting lineup, it will come down to Raina to ensure that he plays the anchor knock till the end.

Irfan Pathan

Veteran Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan is very much likely to hog the limelight in the game. Whether he gets a chance to play in the match or not, remains to be seen. However, considering the hard inches he has been putting in after being named as the replacement for Dwayne Bravo in Gujarat Lions, he looks like a certain starter for the important game. Pathan had initially gone unsold at the auctions this year. Hence, if and when he takes the field, he will have a point to prove to many pundits.

Team Combinations:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

RCB have had a tough time this season. They have lost the majority of their fixtures and need to win all their remaining matches to ensure that they qualify for the playoffs. The luck has not been in their favour either. The previous game was washed out and hence they will try to put their best feet forward going into this game. Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli look like a threatening pair at the top order and will be followed by AB de Villiers in the middle order.

However, all three batsmen have lacked consistency this season which has been hurting them. The same goes for the middle-order batsmen as well with Mandeep Singh, Kedar Jadhav and Stuart Binny lacking substance in the middle. The bowling has never been the strength for the RCB setup and it does not look any good now either. However, they can only hope that Tymal Mills and Samuel Badree take the bulk of the responsibility with Yuzvendra Chahal playing the support role.

Gujarat Lions

The Gujarat Lions have been facing the problem with their bowling lineup. They have drafted in Irfan Pathan in the squad as a replacement for Dwayne Bravo. Hence, it is expected that the veteran Indian all-rounder will take the field against RCB. He was seen practising hard ahead of the fixture and hence is likely to replace Akshdeep Nath in the playing eleven. Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum will continue to open the innings for them with Suresh Raina and Dinesh Karthik completing the core of the middle order.

Dwayne Smith’s place in the lineup is debatable but it would only be unfair on him if he gets dropped. The team might consider roping in James Faulkner in the playing eleven at his expense.  Andrew Tye and Ravindra Jadeja will form the lower middle order for them. Shubham Agarwal and Nathu Singh were very impressive on their debuts in the previous match and Basil Thampi will retain his place in the lineup.

StatAttack

3 – Number of RCB batsmen with 20 or more fifties in the IPL (Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers, and Virat Kohli).

9 – Number of runs needed by Virat Kohli to overtake Suresh Raina as the leading run scorer in the history of the IPL.

167 – Number of sixes Suresh Raina has hit in the IPL. He is next to only Chris Gayle on the list.

4373 – Number of runs scored by Suresh Raina in the IPL history – the highest in the tournament history.