IPL 6: Match 46 - PWI vs RCB - Royal Challengers Bangalore Preview

Pune Warriors India might still not have recovered fully from the Gayle shock the other night at Chinnaswamy Stadium, and here they are, ready to host RCB at Subrata Roy Sahara Stadium, Pune. As was evident from their previous encounter, it will be a battle of two unequal sides when the second placed RCB take on the bottom placed PWI. But the fact that RCB has not managed to win a single game away from home so far, is likely to provide the Pune side, which is almost out of contention for play-offs, some confidence. Despite having the fire-power in them, Pune have not been able to clinch the critical moments in the games, resulting in their downfall.

RCB will be going into the match following their two consecutive losses against RR and MI, both away from home. This has hindered their winning momentum a little, but the poor run of PWI in this IPL might give them a chance to come back to their winning ways.

Quite obviously, Christopher Henry Gayle will again be their power-player at the top, especially considering his marauding 175* off 66 balls against the same opponents earlier. However, RCB might be in a bit of dilemma regarding Gayle’s opening partner today, as Tillakaratne Dilshan has not been delivering his best and Mayank Agarwal is out of the IPL due to injury.

In-form skipper Virat Kohli and the new Mr. Cricket AB de Villiers will have to take up the responsibility of steering the innings in the middle overs and finishing it with a flourish. Return of Saurabh Tiwary has provided some stability to their lower middle order as well.

The PWI bowling has not been that threatening, barring Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been very economical this season. The likes of Ashok Dinda, Mitchell Marsh and Rahul Sharma have to be at their accurate best to save themselves from the impending Gayle onslaught yet again.

RCB’s bowling has not been consistent so far, with almost all of them going for runs barring the likes of Ravi Rampaul and Vinay Kumar at times. Their batting has been their only saving grace. RP Singh and Jaydev Unadkat went for plenty in their last game against RR, and need to tighten it up if they wish RCB to go all the way in this tournament. Moises Henriques was economical in the last game and is likely to play today as well. Murali Kartik might face an axe today after his expensive spell in the last game. They might opt for Muttiah Muralitharan today, considering the slow nature of the pitch at the venue.

Conditions:

It has not been easy to score runs here at Pune, with the ball stopping a little bit before coming to the bat. The pitch is expected to play the same today. However, batsmen who are willing to bide their time at the crease are likely to get some quick runs as they progress during their innings. Bowlers with clever changes of pace will prove to be very handy on this pitch.

Head to head:

The head to head record is loaded in favour of RCB with their 100% record against PWI intact so far. These teams have faced-off 4 times in the past and RCB has managed to win all those matches.

RCB’s strategy:

Considering the way they dominated PWI in the last game, they should look to bat first on winning the toss, no matter what the conditions are. They should be looking to put a mammoth total on the scoreboard against a side which has easily crumbled under pressure.

Key Players:

Chris Gayle - This Jamaican powerhouse will be hoping for another Gaylestorm today. He is presently the Orange Cap holder as well.

Virat Kohli - Apart from his on-field antics, the RCB skipper has been hitting the ball well so far. He is the second-highest scorer for RCB after Gayle. He is expected to carry the momentum of the innings till the end if Gayle gets out early.

Possible XI:

Following their two consecutive losses, they might be forcing a few changes today. Different conditions will also be an important factor in deciding their playing XI.

Chris Gayle, T Dilshan/A Mukund, Virat Kohli(c), AB de Villiers(wk), Saurabh Tiwary, Moises Henriques/Andrew McDonald, Syed Mohammad/Murali Kartik, Ravi Rampaul, Vinay Kumar, RP Singh and Jaydev Unadkat/M Muralitharan.

Prediction:

Even after RCB’s failure to win their away matches so far, they are likely to come on top today considering the poor run of PWI this year.