Series: Indian Premier League, 2016 Venue: M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru Date & Time: May 07, 04:00 PM LOCAL
NOWHER TO HIDE: Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Virat Kohli, running
for cover as rain disrupts practise, will be keen on picking up full
points against Rising Pune Supergiants.
After an insipid campaign thus far, Royal Challengers
Bangalore (RCB) and Rising Pune Supergiants will be desperate to spark a
comeback in the second half of IPL-9.
RCB, plagued
by inadequacies in the bowling department, has recorded two wins in
seven matches, while Pune has posted a similarly disappointing three
victories in nine outings.
RCB’s previous encounter
against Kolkata Knight Riders highlighted the obvious misgivings. The
Bengaluru team posted 185 at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, only to see the
opposition chase it down with five balls to spare. If the side is to
progress beyond the league stage, the bowlers must step up to the plate.
Binny impresses
Local
lad Stuart Binny, however, did impress with the new ball against KKR,
and the inclusion of seamer Chris Jordan — he is likely to make his IPL
debut on Saturday — will improve the side’s chances of picking up early
wickets.
RCB’s batting line-up wears a far more
settled look, with wicketkeeper-batsman K.L. Rahul providing the perfect
foil for the established trio of Virat Kohli, Chris Gayle and A.B. de
Villiers. Shane Watson, Sachin Baby and Binny can be trusted to shore up
the innings if they are called into action.
On
the other hand, Dhoni’s side has relied heavily on Ajinkya Rahane to do
the job at the top of the order. Rahane, who has posted five fifties in
nine knocks, was instrumental in guiding his side to a seven-wicket win
over Delhi Daredevils on Thursday.
The Mumbaikar
received good support from opening partner Usman Khawaja, who received a
call-up to a squad which has lost Kevin Pietersen, Faf du Plessis,
Mitchell Marsh and Steve Smith to injuries.
Skipper M.S. Dhoni has scores of 27, 24 and 30 not out in his last three innings, and is slowly moving into to top-gear.
“Rahane is a phenomenal player. He will be the key wicket for us,” RCB’s Jordan said.
While
Pune opted to skip training on Friday, incessant showers cut RCB’s
training session short. There is a mild chance that rain may play
spoilsport on match-day — a scenario which neither team can afford.
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