IPL 2016, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Lions Qualifier 1 Preview: Can the unstoppable Virat Kohli be stopped?
Virat Kohli has been in sublime form for the Royal Challengers Bangalore this season, being instrumental in all of their victories. The Royal Challengers Bangalore facing a must-win situation against the Delhi Daredevils in their last game, cruised to a comfortable victory due to yet another half-century from Kohli, beating them by 6 wickets. After guiding the Challengers to the playoffs from a difficult position, Kohli will be pumped up in this first qualifier game against the Lions.
Also read: Gujarat Lions (GL) vs Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) IPL 2016 Live Cricket Score & Ball by Ball Commentary
The Gujarat Lions had a few hiccups along the way after a great start to the tournament and are now deservedly into the playoffs, grabbing the number 1 spot in the table. Suresh Raina’s men ended the hopes of the Mumbai Indians to enter the playoffs, beating them convincingly by 6 wickets in their last game. The debutantes seem to have found a strategy to counter their batting issues and are set to face off against the Challengers.
Qualifier 1 of VIVO IPL 2016 will take place at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. The weather forecast predicts chances of thunderstorms in Bangalore and hopefully does not affect this match.
Match Date and Time: 24 May 2016, 8 pm (IST)
Match Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore.
Weather:
Temperature: Max 31°C, Min 26°C
Humidity: Max 60%
Wind: 11 km per hour
Pitch Report: Par-score 180. True batting wicket.
In-Depth Analysis:
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s Point of View
Positives:
The Royal Challengers have won their last 4 games to reach the playoffs and have done it in style by completely crushing their opponents. The men from the Garden City were aware of their batting might and decided to unleash their advantage by sending their best player, Virat Kohli to open the innings and give him as many overs as possible to do the damage.
On top of that, the West Indian Chris Gayle found some form with the bat and now the Challengers already seem unstoppable with the bat.
The South African AB de Villiers has done full justice to his reputation, scoring 603 runs in 14 innings with a century and 5 fifties to his name. The top 3 of the Challengers batting unit have been unbelievable at times and the bowlers have looked clueless while bowling to them. Add to that their strong middle order batting consisting of players like Shane Watson, KL Rahul, and Sachin Baby, who have been a treat to watch as well.
Shane Watson has done a fabulous job in the bowling department along with Yuzvendra Chahal in the middle overs, restricting the free flow of runs and picking up wickets in the crucial times. They will look to keep up the good work and continue against the Lions.
Negatives:
The obvious negative has been the bowling department in this season for the Challengers. Lacking a quality bowler who can bowl with the new ball, the Challengers have dearly missed the services of the Australian Mitchell Starc who could have made a world of difference to their team.
The Challengers will most likely go with Stuart Binny and Srinath Aravind to bowl with the new ball and although these bowlers can get some movement off the wicket, they lack the serious pace required to dismiss the batsmen on these tough Indian wickets. They will once again look to Yuzvendra Chahal to pull them through along with some help from Shane Watson.
Gujarat Lions Point of View
Positives:
The Lions have obtained most of the Chennai Super Kings players and that has been a major factor for their success as the players already had good chemistry between them. Openers Dwayne Smith and Brendon McCullum had a blast in the previous edition of the Indian Premier League when they were a part of the Super Kings and they have continued that for the Gujarat Lions.
Skipper Suresh Raina has been going for the Lions in their past 2 games, scoring back to back fifties in super quick time. Raina has the ability to score runs in difficult situations, showing a mixture of patience and aggression. Raina will hold the key to the fortunes of the Lions and the fans will be hoping that Raina has kept his best for the last in this season.
Dhawal Kulkarni has been keeping it tight with the new ball and picking up a wicket almost consistently in the powerplay overs. Kulkarni has bagged 14 wickets in 12 matches with an economy rate of 7.75 runs per over, which is extremely good for these flat batting wickets. Dwayne Bravo has not gone unnoticed, picking up 15 wickets in 13 games for the Lions and he has been that bowler who has had an impact almost instantly when asked to bowl. These 2 will have to lead the bowling attack and control the Challengers batting line-up.
Negatives:
The inconsistent middle order has been the problem for the Lions when their top 3 batsmen are having a bad day with the bat. Wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik is a proven talent but he has not exactly been at his best for the Lions. Aaron Finch had a fantastic start to this season but ever since his injury, he hasn’t been at his complete best. This could be the game where these two need to come good for their team.
This will be a fascinating contest betweent the top 2 teams of this season as the winner will jump straight to the finals while the loser gets another chance to grab a spot in the finals.