IPL 2018: Match 11, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals - Expectation vs Reality

Both the teams have won a game each, they won their ‘homecoming’ game. While one made a weather out what could have been a smooth chase, the other had to bowl to win in a 6-over game because of the weather. Royal Challengers Bangalore stand on the fifth position at the points table while RR are placed sixth.

Both sides have plenty of problems to address. RCB, for instance, seemed to have upped their game as far as bowling is concerned but still remain unprotected without a sixth bowling option. They also seem to look very flimsy in the lower middle order with only Mandeep Singh looking comfortable.

RR, on the other hand, have to figure out their batting order because there are batsmen like Rahul Tripathi batting out of position at the moment. They will also have to take a call on persisting with D’Arcy Short or trying out Heinrich Klassen. With Jofra Archer available now, they will also have to leave out Ben Laughlin. So, the final XI they go in with will be very crucial.

Here are a few expectations we have from the match, what are yours?

Buttler cameo again

He helped RR sneak in some crucial runs when they were struggling to post a respectable total on the board once Samson departed after developing a brief partnership with Rahane. In his 18-ball stay, he scored 29 runs that included two fours and two sixes. Since this line-up has a lot of people batting out of order, it is vital that Buttler did justice to his role down the order where he seemed comfortable.

It is true that the Englishman is looked upon as a finisher but in case RR collapse, they would be relying on Buttler to see them through. Collapses may be a common sight if RR do not sort their batting order out. However, once the wicket-keeper batsman gets going, the small boundaries will be easy to scale for him.

Baz at the top

Brendon McCullum did show glimpses of the levels of slogging he can achieve at Eden Gardens in the first match but was dismissed for a duck in the match against Kings XI Punjab. If RCB are not looking to add another all-rounder in the form of Colin de Grandhomme instead of him, expect Baz to slog the power plays out too.

It will be the best opportunity for him to showcase his clean-hitting of the ball against RR because it is one line-up in particular that looks relatively weak in the spin department. There exists the likes of Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal, but if Baz can read them early on and know which spells to play out, expect the Chinnaswamy to light up with a Baz-show.

The reality check after the match is:

Bow down to Sanju Samson

The team batting first defied the prevailing norm of chasing and won the game, courtesy a freak show by Sanju Samson. He scored a 45-ball-92 and made up for the rather slow start for RR.

He smacked every bowler out of the park with 10 sixes and 2 fours. Batting at a SR of 200, it was not just throwing the sink at every ball but a calm, calculated innings under pressure.

Too tasking a chase for RCB

Baz, who I expected to finally show his prowess, was dismissed by a spinner once again. For a team that is heavily dependent on its Top 4, they can’t afford to play someone who isn’t contributing on a consistent basis.

Even though QDK and Kohli held forte for a while, they succumbed to the pressure, followed by AB de Villiers. Pawan Negi was far from useful while Mandeep Singh and Washington Sundar started to strike the ball well when it was too late.