IPL 6: Match 51 – KXIP vs RCB: Royal Challengers Bangalore Preview

Ending a string of four successive away defeats, RCB finally broke the jinx against PWI, beating them by 17 runs at the Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune. RCB head into the game against KXIP at the PCA stadium in Mohali high on confidence. Their top order batting, as evident, is their biggest strength, but they also seem to be striking the right balance in terms of team composition, as the tournament progresses.

After an astonishing innings from AB in the previous game which got them to a massive score after a relatively slow start, RCB almost failed to capitalize on it. A late blitz from Robin Uthappa took PWI very close to an unlikely win. So RCB should guard against complacency against an on-and-off KXIP side that has been blowing hot, blowing cold all season. A defeat in this game could virtually put them out of contention for the playoff spots.

RCB will once again look to their top order to deliver the goods. Having Saurabh Tiwary open the innings was a gamble that paid rich dividends for the side. They will be hoping he continues his good form and comes up with a few more good innings at the top which takes the pressure slightly off the big three – Gayle, Kohli and AB.

But pressure is what these players thrive on. AB was in spectacular form in the previous game, taking the PWI bowlers to the cleaners, and would only be hoping he gets to play more than just 23 balls, like in the last game. Gayle, on the other hand, has had two quiet games after his record breaking innings. He will be looking to get back to his demolishing self. Kohli has not capitalized on the starts that he has got and is due a big one. One thing is for sure, if any of these three play a big innings tomorrow, you might see RCB canter to an easy win.

The bowling has been a grey area for the RCB. It is a line-up filled with average bowlers who are doing decently well but have not been able to produce anything extraordinary till date. It is surprising to see RCB still use only 5 bowlers in most of the games. Knowing for a fact that Gayle can bowl very decent off-spinners, there lies RCB’s trump card to find the right balance. Vinay Kumar has been the best of the lot and another wicket taking performance could also get him back the purple cap.

The opponents are slowly finding form with their foreign players, Marsh and Miller, coming good in the last few games. David Hussey too is in good nick, but the Indian contingent’s below par performance is hurting them the most. RCB should look to exploit this factor and make early inroads into their batting line up. All in all, it should be a fascinating game for the viewers. Expect a high scoring battle in this one.

Conditions:

With an average score of 160 batting first, the pitch at the PCA stadium Mohali should be a good one to bat on. The pitch is also expected to play the same for the entire 40 over as chasing targets has been pretty comfortable here. Virat Kohli will be looking to chase if RCB win the toss and will fancy themselves to chase any target set by KXIP.

Head to Head:

There is nothing to choose between the two teams when it comes to matches played against each other. Both teams have won 5 games apiece, with KXIP nicking the last encounter between them on the penultimate ball of the match.

RCB’s strategy:

RCB will be looking to bowl first on this wicket and restrict the opponent to a score below 150 by putting up a disciplined shift with the ball and in the field. Then they will be able to count on their big guns to chase the total down without too much fuss.

Key Players:

AB De Villiers: After a swashbuckling 50 off just 23 balls in the previous game, AB will be licking his fingers to get another longer run in the middle. Might just be too hot to handle for the KXIP bowlers in his current form.

Chris Gayle: If Gayle decides to get stuck in, no target will be too big for him. After failures to make a big score after his 175*, he will be itching to get back to scoring big.

Possible XI:

Last game saw RCB coming close to getting a balanced side out in the middle. So don’t expect too many changes. An extra pace man coming in place of a spinner will probably be the only change.

Chris Gayle, Saurabh Tiwari, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Moises Henriques, Lokesh Rahul, Arun Karthik(wk), Ravi Rampaul, Vinay Kumar, Murali Karthik, RP Singh

Prediction:

The batsmen of both teams will play a crucial role in deciding the winner of this game. After finally breaking the away game jinx, expect RCB to come out on top and win this game.