Challengers face Royal challenge
20 April 2013 12:42 AM GMT
A tough challenge awaits Royal Challengers Bangalore when they take on Rajasthan Royals in a battle of table toppers in IPL VI on Saturday. RCB are undefeated in the four matches they have played at home this season. It would be huge game for them against the Royals who are also on a roll after four wins in five outings, the most recent win coming over Mumbai Indians on Wednesday.
Except for the loss against underdogs Pune Warriors, the Royals have won their matches comfortably, including against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The Jaipur-based team led by Rahul Dravid would like to take sole lead with a win on Saturday.
Royals’ Ajinkya Rahane, Dravid along with S Sreesanth and Sidharth Trivedi have been the most successful batsmen and bowlers in the tournament so far. While in-form RCB batsmen Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers too will look forward to a great start. The home fans at Chinnaswamy Stadium would be eager to watch the battle between Gayle and temperamental Sreesanth, who is expected to take the field on Saturday for the first time after reopening the 'slapgate' wounds with his explosive tweets.
Gayle played a couple of match-winning knocks and RCB would be depending a lot on him and Kohli. The home side have struggled to find a partner for Gayle at the top. The ploy to send Agarwal and K Rahul to open with the explosive West Indian has not worked. The RCB think-tank may give Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan a go once again, depending upon playing conditions.
The Royals, on the other hand, have not depended too much on one individual, theirs have been a collective effort to script victories.An interesting battle may unfold between Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, if he gets into the playing eleven, and Royals batsmen.
Except for the loss against underdogs Pune Warriors, the Royals have won their matches comfortably, including against defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders. The Jaipur-based team led by Rahul Dravid would like to take sole lead with a win on Saturday.
Royals’ Ajinkya Rahane, Dravid along with S Sreesanth and Sidharth Trivedi have been the most successful batsmen and bowlers in the tournament so far. While in-form RCB batsmen Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers too will look forward to a great start. The home fans at Chinnaswamy Stadium would be eager to watch the battle between Gayle and temperamental Sreesanth, who is expected to take the field on Saturday for the first time after reopening the 'slapgate' wounds with his explosive tweets.
Gayle played a couple of match-winning knocks and RCB would be depending a lot on him and Kohli. The home side have struggled to find a partner for Gayle at the top. The ploy to send Agarwal and K Rahul to open with the explosive West Indian has not worked. The RCB think-tank may give Sri Lankan Tillakaratne Dilshan a go once again, depending upon playing conditions.
The Royals, on the other hand, have not depended too much on one individual, theirs have been a collective effort to script victories.An interesting battle may unfold between Sri Lankan off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, if he gets into the playing eleven, and Royals batsmen.
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