With five defeats, time running out for Royal Challengers turnaround
Having slumped to a new low this IPL season, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) must have endured a forgettable night on Sunday. RCB were bundled out for 49, IPL’s lowest ever total, chasing Kolkata Knight Riders’ modest total of 131 at Eden Gardens. At the halfway point, RCB have just two wins and five losses. But Virat Kohli’s boys have been in a similar situation before. Last year too RCB had a 2-5 win-loss record after losing to KKR in their seventh game.
“Our worst batting performance,” Kohli said summing up the defeat on Sunday. “It really hurts. After the kind of half that we had, we thought we could capitalise and chase it down. Reckless batting, I can’t say anything at the moment. It was that bad. This is just not acceptable.”
“There’s nothing to review anything about the second half, it was that bad,” Kohli said. “We need to forget it and move forward. We’re a much better team. We got 200 plus in the last game. I’m sure everyone realises what they’ve done wrong. You have to come out, show intent and back yourselves. I’m sure we won’t bat like that again in the tournament,” the RCB skipper said after none in their batting lineup reached double figures against KKR. When RCB face defending champions Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at home on Tuesday, Kohli would be eager to turn the tables around. Last year RCB had made a turnaround and eventually finished runners-up after winning six of the remaining seven league matches. So can RCB play the same tune again this time?
KOHLI NEEDS TO INSPIRE TEAM
One of the major reasons for RCB’s misery in the last two games has been their skipper’s form. Kohli experienced golden ducks in the last two games and the entire side, including the likes of Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and Kedar Jadhav failed to fire consistently. At this stage, if RCB are to bounce back, they need a batsman who could anchor the innings. Kohli will have to show that he can play the full twenty overs and he will have to inspire the team to rally around him.
Against Hyderabad, Kohli will have to be cautious as Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who takes the new ball for SRH, is capable of swinging the ball both ways.
MIDDLE-ORDER SUPPORT
If Hyderabad have succeeded in posting competitive totals, it is because their middle-order has provided the push needed in the slog overs. Unfortunately, RCB is yet to deliver on that front. Jadhav, De Villiers and Mandeep Singh have failed to compliment the start given by Gayle and Kohli. None of the RCB batsmen have crossed 200 runs in seven games and that is something that would bother Kohli. RCB’s pace bowling has been dismal. England pacer Tymal Mills has just five wickets to his name with an economy rate just under nine. Kohli played Shane Watson but he too went for more than 10 an over. Srinath Aravind and Stuart Binny too have failed.
CAUTIOUS AGAINST RASHID KHAN
In the first leg in Hyderabad, Mandeep and Travis Head threw their wickets away against their Afghan leg-spinner Rashid Khan.
With a lot of right-handers in their line-up, RCB will have to be careful against Khan and watch out for his googly.
NEEDED A MAGICAL CHAHAL SPELL
Hyderabad boasts of a lot of lefthanders in their line-up and it could hurt RCB’s chances as they don’t have an off-spinner.
Royal Challengers Bangalore has two leg-spinners in Yuzvendra Chahal and Samuel Badree, which might give SRH an advantage. But if Kohli’s has to get on top of them, it is important that Chahal picks wickets.He is one bowler who possess the quality to pick. A magical spell by Chahal can help Kohli’s cause.