Bangalore, May 1: Dropped to the fifth position from third in the points table, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) would look to return to winning ways against an improving Kings XI Punjab here tomorrow to brighten up their play-off chances in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League.The loss against Kolkata Knight Riders by 47 runs in their last game notwithstanding, RCB would look to draw inspiration from the five-wicket win against Kings XI Punjab in the last encounter between the two sides at Mohali.But RCB will have to fight tooth and nail against Kings XI to conjure up a win at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.
It has been a mixed outing for RCB so far in the tournament, winning four games and losing as many from nine outings with one match against Chennai Super Kings being washed out.
RCB’s foreign recruits—Chris Gayle, AB de Villiers and to some extent Tillakartane Dilshan—have played stellar roles in the victories, but the form of its domestic players has been a major worry for the Bangalore outfit.
Gayle and de Villiers have been at their devastating best with the bat, but find themselves waging a lonely battle time and again because of the lack of support from domestic players.
Virat Kohli, Saurabh Tiwary, Mayank Agarwal and Cheteshwar Pujara all have failed to contribute with the bat so far, thereby putting extra pressure on the foreign players, especially Gayle to do the bulk of the scoring.
After showing great promise in Australia, Kohli has failed to live up to his reputation, scoring just 147 runs from eight innings with only one half century against his name.
But the young Delhi batsman would be desperate to turn things around and strike form in tomorrow’s match.
RCB would look a completely different side and be more formidable if Kohli gets among runs, which would also boost the confidence of Tiwary, Agarwal, Pujara and others.
