Onus on RCB to exploit Lucknow’s predictability
KOLKATA: There will be no second chance and the implication of that is bound to touch upon every aspect of preparation by Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore. From how they shape up psychologically in Wednesday’s Eliminator to getting the eleven and subsequent on-field decisions correct. It might seem daunting but so are the odds of winning IPL from here—only twice in 14 attempts have thirdplaced teams lifted the trophy, and only once has a fourthplaced team.
LSG may feel a little unlucky given they were in the top two until the final few matches. RCB will be relieved to emerge intact from a mid-table knot, albeit with a little help from Mumbai Indians. A win here is bound to boost expectations from a franchise that overcame a tectonic captaincy change to peak just in time for the playoffs.
“The last game we played we felt almost like we played our best game of cricket of this campaign so far, and that is how you want to enter the knockout stages,” RCB captain Faf du Plessis said after Mumbai Indians defeated Delhi Capitals to clear RCB’S path to the playoffs. “We needed someone to do us a favour and Mumbai did that for us; we are very thankful for that. Now the work starts again, and we get our work mode back on.”
So, with contrasting paths to the playoffs, RCB and LSG find themselves on a fresh Eden Gardens pitch, probably contemplating if it warrants a shift in tactics. Despite the veneer of stability painted by their points-table position, LSG have gaping holes in their batting. It has been skipper KL Rahul (537 runs) and Quinton de Kock (502 runs) all along, with a fair bit of Deepak Hooda (406 runs), and no one else. By indulging in too many combinations, LSG have effectively ended a 14-match league still deciding on the most apt batting order after their openers, with scant idea how best to use Marcus Stoinis’s slog-over hitting ability. As much as their top two batters ooze of the formidability expected of a top-four team, LSG have still left themselves exposed to unforeseen scenarios should Rahul and de Kock stuff up. It’s been a dream run for Rahul and de Kock, best captured by an unbeaten 210-run stand against KKR in LSG’S last match. But they now need to extend it for at least two more games for the sake of the team.
Predictability is their foe too. If LSG have batted well, that means de Kock and Rahul have started slow before gathering pace around the 12th over. But on an Eden pitch that has historically been on the slower side, RCB’S bowling is almost tailormade to keep the scoring down. Two overs each from Josh Hazlewood, upfront and at the backend, a few overs from Glenn Maxwell in the power play, legspinner Wanindu Hasaranga taking over the middle overs and Harshal Patel the slog overs— RCB’S bowling core isn’t the easiest to crack.
They might have been the least incisive bowling side in the power play, but RCB have bounced back every time by being the best bowling unit in the middle phase courtesy a spin attack that has averaged 23.35 runs per wicket, the best among all teams. That’s not great news for LSG, especially the lower-order quartet of Stoinis, Krunal
Pandya, Ayush Badoni and Jason Holder who have one fifty between them. And since LSG haven’t won every time they chased in the last 10 games, it seems they have pigeonholed themselves into a situation where the toss is crucial.
RCB batters will approach this match a much more confident outfit. In du Plessis they have a lion-hearted captain open to every suggestion and willing to drop anchor should there be a top-order wobble. By showing empathy to Virat Kohli’s indifferent form, he allowed the former skipper to fail till he succeeded. It was worth the wait, most would agree, now that Kohli is back in the runs and pumped up to play his part in a campaign already memorable in many ways. Then in Dinesh Karthik, RCB have a proven finisher who can bat anywhere between No 4 and 7, depending on the situation. Time and again, Super Giants have hit back through their fast bowlers, but countering Karthik at Eden may require more variation than sheer pace. How Lucknow fast bowlers adapt to that requirement could influence RCB’S innings, besides Krunal’s slow left-arm spin in the middle overs.