Bangalore have form, history in favour as they take on Gujarat for a direct entry in final
Probably one team that would have been the most unhappy about Royal Challengers Bangalore thrashing Delhi Daredevils to finish second in the league standings is the Gujarat Lions.
Not only do the Lions face the daunting task of facing the in-form Challengers in the first qualifier at their own den on Tuesday, they would also have a lot of bruised memories from the last time they played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
It was exactly 10 days ago when the Lions got a thrashing of their lives from the opposition they are facing and on the ground they are playing their qualifier. Two genius batsmen went about scoring runs as if it was child's play, and the Lions bowlers had absolutely no answers as Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers both struck centuries to take their team to 248/3. That the Lions were bundled out for a shambolic 104 only added salt to the wounds.
Suresh Raina & Co will thus have to overcome the most in-form team as well as ghosts from the past if they are to storm into the IPL finals.
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Add to that, there is another aspect that they'll need to find an answer to, and that's Kohli. Make no mistake, the only way the Lions can even entertain thoughts of a victory is by removing the RCB skipper early. For, the man has slammed centuries in both his outings against the Lions this season.
His stats this IPL season overall are jaw-dropping: Kohli has so far scored a record 919 runs in 14 games with four centuries and six fifties, at a mind-boggling average of 91.90. Those are the kind of numbers that can give opposition captains a nightmare, and Raina is sure to have them on Monday night.
But RCB are not just about Kohli, like their last four games proved. There's De Villiers, who is never far away from a special innings. There's Chris Gayle, who has found some much-needed form. There's KL Rahul, who, in some ways, has been the unsung hero of the RCB batting line-up, striking four half-centuries this season and adjusting in the top as well as the middle order.
But the biggest turnaround that RCB have managed to initiate is in their bowling, which looked a hapless unit not too many days ago. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has been the biggest catalyst, leading the wicket-takers' charts in the league stage with 19 wickets from 11 games. The entry of English paceman Chris Jordan into the team has added the much-needed fire-power to RCB's bowling attack, and all-rounder Shane Watson has complemented the attack well with his steady medium-pacers. The RCB thus look a well-oiled unit running in fifth gear at the moment.
However, if there is one team that has the might to stop the RCB juggernaut, it is the Lions. Being the first to make the knockouts by topping the table, the Lions would have had ample time to prepare for this game, both physically as well as mentally. Add to that, they have the players who, when in the mood, and single-handedly win matches.
It starts right from the top: Brendon McCullum, Aaron Finch, Suresh Raina, Dwayne Smith, these are four T20 specialists who have all been among the runs at some point this season.
Their biggest strength, however, lies in their all-round department. Dwayne Bravo is an asset to any T20 side, and the man has 15 wickets against his name this season. Ravindra Jadeja is a wily T20 bowler, and so is Smith with his swinging medium-pacers. Two quality new ball bowlers, Praveen Kumar and Dhawal Kulkarni, provide nice finishing touches to the bowling attack.
On paper, RCB are favourites. On form, RCB are favourites. In terms of history, RCB are favourites. But with a direct entry in the final at stake, all that would count for nothing come Tuesday.
BLAST FROM THE PAST
Here's what happened when these two teams met in the league stage...
Virat ton not enough
April 24 (In Rajkot)
Virat Kohli notched up his first T20 century, scoring an unbeaten 88-ball 100. KL Rahul too pitched in with 51* to take Royal Challengers Bangalore to 180/2. But that wasn't enough as Gujarat Lions' batsmen fired in unison to comfortably cross the line by six wickets. Brief scores: RCB 180/2 in 20 overs (V Kohil 100*, KL Rahul 51*) lost to Gujarat Lions 182/4 in 19.3 overs (D Karthik 50*, B McCullum 42, D Smith 32) by six wickets
Kohli, AB special
May 14 (In Bangalore)
When Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers score 109 and 129*, respectively, there's nothing much the opposition can do. RCB scored a massive 248 in their 20 overs and then Chris Jordan (4/11) and Yuzvendra Chahal (3/19) bowled superbly to hammer the Lions.
Brief scores: RCB 248/3 in 20 overs (De Villiers 129*, V Kohli 109; P Kumar 2/45) bt Gujarat Lions 104 all out in 18.4 overs (A Finch 37; C Jordan 4/11, Y Chahal 3/19) by 144 runs
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