What’s the story?
Former India captain and current president of Cricket Association of Bengal, Sourav Ganguly, has once again come up with a perspective on IPL games. He feels that the wooden spooners of IPL 10, Royal Challengers Bangalore, must play Chris Gayle instead of Shane Watson to elevate their position on the points table.
"What they need to think is that they need to find a way to get Chris Gayle back into the team, Gayle has to play in the IPL. Yes they have had a little bit of a tough time, I know they are trying to get Shane Watson play as an all-rounder but Watson has done nothing and he looks like a patch of his old self and maybe there can be a case of swapping him with Gayle at the top of the order.” Ganguly told India Today.
In case you didn’t know...
Ganguly also had an opinion on MS Dhoni’s lackluster performance in this season of the cash-rich league. Last week, he questioned Dhoni’s capabilities as a T20 player, saying that although he is an outstanding ODI batsman, the two times World Cup winning captain has only one fifty in his T20 career of 10 years.
The heart of the matter
Virat Kohli-led RCB have won only one of their five games thus far, and languish at the bottom of the table with 2 points. They haven’t played swashbuckling batsman Chris Gayle in two of their matches, assumedly because they consider Watson’s all-round capabilities as more beneficial to the team.
However, it can be recalled that in the 2016 edition too, when RCB reached the finals to eventually lose to Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Daniel Vettori coached team lost 5 of their first 7 games. However, they fought their way back to end the tournament as runners-up.
Although Virat Kohli and Ab de Villiers appear in sublime form, KL rahul’s missing services, along with Gayle and Watson’s loss of form, is why the team is struggling.
What’s next?
RCB will look to turn the tables around and begin their much-needed winning streak, starting with the Gujarat Lions today, and then against KKR at the Eden Gardens. It can be noted here that Chris Gayle has produced some stellar performances against KKR at Eden before, which is why we may get to see him in the playing XI at the iconic venue.
Author’s Take
It will be difficult for Virat Kohli and the team management to choose between both the out-of-form overseas players. But given the hitting prowess Gayle possesses, he is the kind of player who can win them games single-handedly if given repeated opportunities.
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