The Royal Challengers Bangalore have had the worst start to their IPL season since the 2009 edition. They did manage to turn their season around in 2009 and ended up reaching the final of the tournament but eventually lost to the now defunct Deccan Chargers.
However, with their previous match against the Sunrisers Hyderabad being washed out in Bangalore, they have their task cut-out. Virat Kohli’s men will have to win their remaining 6 matches if they want to give themselves a chance to qualify for the playoffs. They suffered their most embarrassing defeat in the history of the IPL on 23rd April when they were bowled out for 49 against the Kolkata Knight Riders.
Similarly, Gujarat Lions too have had an extremely poor start to their season as they are currently at the bottom of the table with only 2 wins in 7 matches. They finished on top of the table last season before going into the playoffs and will have to win their remaining 7 matches if they want to replicate last season’s form.
Brendon Mccullum and Suresh Raina have been performing well with the bat for the Lions but their bowlers have disappointed as they have leaked a lot of runs over the past few matches.
Date: April 27th
Venue: M Chinnaswamy stadium, Bengaluru
Time: 20:00 IST
If RCB bat first
Prediction: 170+
RCB’s strength is their batting but unfortunately, they have not lived up to their billing with their batsmen not performing too well this year. They posted a 200+ total only once so far and would be hoping to do so against the Lions. Unfortunately, with a change in the Chinnaswamy stadium pitch, the bowlers are getting a lot more from the pitch than they did in previous years. However, with a lot of pressure on RCB’s shoulder, we could expect Virat Kohli to absorb the pressure and perform well as he has done on numerous occasions over the past few years. It has been a while since we saw AB de Villiers perform as well and tomorrow might just be the day.
If GL bat first
Prediction: 160+
Their strength is their batting and they would be looking to capitalise on that in tomorrow’s match in order to achieve a big total. However, given the nature of the pitch and RCB’s spin bowling strength, they will have their task cut out.
Predicted winner: Royal Challengers Bangalore
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