Gujarat look to continue ‘Golden Touch’, Bangalore seek Kohli’s return to form
Bating stalwart Virat Kohli’s wretched form would once again come under scrutiny when Royal Challengers Bangalore face table-toppers Gujarat Titans in an Indian Premier League match here on Saturday.
Kohli has scored a mere 128 runs in nine matches for RCB this season with 48 being his highest score. His promotion to the opening slot in RCB’S previous match ater scoring back-to-back ducks too did not yield results as he was out for 9.
Kohli’s form has been one of the reasons for the inconsistent show of RCB who are currently in the fith spot with five wins from nine matches.
The Bengaluru-based team, though, is hoping that the former India captain would return to form soon with captain Faf du Plessis backing him ater their last match.
On the other hand, the Titans have been the side to watch this IPL. Whatever they have touched has turned to gold with unlikely match winners emerging every time they were in trouble.
With seven wins from eight matches and on a five-match winning streak, the Titans are the clear favourites to win Saturday’s match. If they do that, they will virtually book a play-off berth.
In their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Titans were struggling in a stiff chase of 196 but Rashid Khan, known more for his leg-spin exploits, and proven finisher Rahul Tewatia struck four sixes in the last over to steal the match from their opponents.
The Titans have shown that if their top-order fails, there is assurance that the lower order can bail the team out, though captain Hardik Pandya was hoping that his side’s luck does not run out later in the tournament.
For the Titans, Pandya has been the top scorer with 305 runs from seven matches and under his “relaxed” approach the team seems to be flourishing. He will once again be the top man to get the runs, along with the likes of Shubman Gill, David Miller and Wriddhiman Saha.
THE WAY FORWARD IS REALLY TO FINISH ON A HIGH, SAYS MI BATTING COACH: With eight defeats in as many matches in IPL 2022, five-time champions Mumbai Indians are all but out of the race for the playoffs.
The top order hasn’t fired at all, the middle and lower order hasn’t been able to give the finishing touch and bowlers haven’t been as impacful as they should have been.
In short, Mumbai haven’t fired at all as a unit in the tournament. With six matches let in their forgetable campaign, starting from the clash against Rajasthan Royals at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday, bating coach Robin Singh believes
With eight defeats in as many matches in IPL 2022, five-time champions Mumbai Indians are all but out of the race for the playoffs. The top order hasn’t fired at all, the middle and lower order hasn’t been able to give the finishing touch and bowlers haven’t been as impacful as they should have been
that the side is focusesd on ending the tournament on a high note.
“We have been very, very close. I think the Chennai game was probably the template that we want. Unfortunately, we lost the game, but that’s part of the game, we understand that. The way forward is really to finish on a high. We’ve addressed that. We want to win; most people are geared up to win. We still have the hunger to win, and from a franchise perspective, we want to make sure that we make the franchise proud,” said Singh in the pre-match virtual press conference.
Asked about what has gone wrong for Mumbai in IPL 2022, Singh straightaway pointed toward not clicking as a unit. “It’s very simple. We have not performed as a team, together. If you look at most of the games that we have played, we have done well in bits and pieces. This is one format where you need to be consistent whether you bat or you bowl, throughout the game. It’s not about 20 overs, it’s the total 40-overs game, and that is something we have not stitched together. We are hoping to do that.”