IPL 10, Match 43, RCB v KXIP Preview: Pride at stake for Royal Challengers Bangalore against upbeat Kings

A match of contrasting agenda seems to be on the cards when the Royal Challengers Bangalore take on the Kings XI Punjab at home in Bengaluru. RCB have had the roughest of runs in the recent times and are out of the race for the playoffs. On the other hand, the Kings XI Punjab still fancy their chances of making it to the playoffs. Going into the game, the Kings certainly will have everything to play for. For RCB, it will be nothing but pride at stake.

Talking about the most recent form, the Royal Challengers were beaten by the table toppers Mumbai Indians in their previous game. The batting failed to click for them on the occasion and the bowling did not live up to the expectations either. The Kings XI Punjab, on the other hand, have found a new mantra for success. They find some or the other player stepping up to the occasion who bails them out of trouble.

The previous match for the Kings was a complete performance that redefined perfection. Led by Sandeep Sharma in the bowling attack, the Kings bowled out Delhi Daredevils for a paltry 67. In the run chase, a dominant unbeaten fifty from Martin Guptill helped the Kings register a clinical 10 wicket win. Certainly, the win would make their spirits go sky high. They will be the favorites when they take the field against the RCB at Bengaluru.

Can the home team spring a surprise and give the sea of red something to cheer about? Keep your eyes on the skipper Virat Kohli in the game.

Toss: RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first

Quotes from the toss:

Glenn Maxwell: “We have got the most games left in the season and we are in still with a chance to make it to the finals. We are unchanged for the first time, so very happy.”

Virat Kohli: “We are going to bowl first. This looks like a better wicket. It’s not been the ideal season so far. Travis Head, Adam Milne are out, Chris Gayle and Samuels Badree are back.”

Playing XI:

Kings XI Punjab: Martin Guptill, Hashim Amla, Manan Vohra, Shaun Marsh, Glenn Maxwell(c), Wriddhiman Saha(w), Axar Patel, Mohit Sharma, Varun Aaron, Sandeep Sharma, T Natarajan

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

Focus will be on

Virat Kohli

RCB skipper Virat Kohli has been in the firing range in the recent times. His personal run in the season has been decent but the team has let him down big time. Many believe that perhaps it is the time for the skipper to rise up to the occasion and take control of the situation. Kohli has aggregated 239 runs in the 7 matches that he has played thus far and averages 34.14 in the tournament. With 3 fifties to his name, Kohli has been the lone ranger for his team.

Martin Guptill

Hard hitting Kiwi batsman Martin Guptill was benched for the majority of the season this time around. Guptill, who was with the Mumbai Indians in the previous edition of the tournament, had failed to make an impact last year. He came into the KXIP roster riding on a big reputation of a clean hitter of the cricket. He cashed in on the opportunity when it beckoned for him. He started off with a score of 20 odd but improved on it with a fifty in the next game against the Daredevils. The kind of form he is in, the RCB bowlers might well be at the receiving end in the encounter.

AB de Villiers

One of the key reasons for the dismal outing of the RCB this season has been the under-firing middle-order. The big names like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers have not been clicking consistently. The other batsmen in the lineup have traditionally revolved around them in the tournament history. Hence, the veteran stars need to step up to the occasion and shoulder more responsibility. De Villiers has 196 runs to his name in 7 matches this season at an average below 33 – which is way below his usual standards. Last year, he had batted with an average of 52.84. The disparity says it all.

Team Combinations:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

The Royal Challengers have nothing to lose at this point. They have a very good opportunity to give games to their bench strength in their remaining fixtures. One can expect many changes in the lineup. Chris Gayle might be back in the playing eleven at the expense of Travis Head. Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers are certain members in the playing eleven and Shane Watson is likely to get another game too.

Sachin Baby could walk in the team for someone like Mandeep Singh who has not quite fired in the tournament thus far. Kedar Jadhav will continue to don the wicket-keeping gloves in the match. Pawan Negi has been very impressive with the ball in the season and will get another game to his name. Yuzvendra Chahal continues to be the first choice spinner in the lineup.

Kings XI Punjab

There is absolutely no reason for the Kings XI Punjab to tinker with their winning combination. They had a perfect outing at Mohali against the Delhi Daredevils in their previous match. Martin Guptill and Hashim Amla look like a formidable combination in the opening department. Manan Vohra and Shaun Marsh have got runs under their belt this season and will take the middle order duties.

Skipper Glenn Maxwell would be itching to get back to his supreme best against the struggling RCB bowling lineup. Wriddhiman Saha remains to be the only batsman from the KXIP camp to have not been amongst the runs this season. In the bowling department, Sandeep Sharma and Mohit Sharma have been bowling exceptionally well in the powerplay and the death overs. Varun Aaron could get an extended game in the season.

Stat Attack:

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

19 – Number of times the two teams have faced each other. Kings XI Punjab have won on 11 occasions and RCB have won 8 times.

687 – Number of runs scored by AB de Villiers in IPL 2016 – the second most by an RCB batsman after Virat Kohli’s 973. This year, he has scored only 196 runs in 7 matches.