IPL 2017 | Preview Match 20 : Gujarat Lions vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

04/18/2017

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Last year's runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Lions will face off at the Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium in Rajkot today. Both teams have won only one game each so far this season and are languishing at the bottom of the eight-team table with run-rate in negative.

While on paper RCB are power-packed, they have failed to live up to the lofty reputation. The team hasn't settled on an opening pair, having tried five different combinations in five matches. The middle-order, too, is yet to strike rhythm, and the team will be hoping to find its batting mojo at the earliest.

Pacer Andrew Tye starred in the side's lone win while Ravindra Jadeja’s return gives the side balance. However, bowlers like Praveen Kumar, Shivil Kaushik, Shahdab Jakati, Munaf Patel and Dhawal Kulkarni are yet to pull their weight.

Head to Head:

RCB lead 2-1, including a 144-run win, the largest margin in IPL.

Last Meeting:

AB de Villiers’ blistering 79 handed RCB a four-wicket victory.

Predicted Playing XI:

RCB: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Kedar Jadhav (wk), Mandeep Singh, Stuart Binny, Pawan Negi, Samuel Badree, Yuzvendra Chahal, S Arvind, Tymal Mills.

GL: Dwayne Smith, Brendon McCullum, Suresh Raina (C), Dinesh Karthik (wk), Aaron Finch, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Andrew Tye, Praveen Kumar, Basil Thampi, Munaf Patel

Key Players:

Virat Kohli (RCB): He struck a belligerent century against GL in the league phase last season, and given that the Rajkot pitch is traditionally batsman-friendly, Kohli is someone who can take a game away once he gets going.

Ravindra Jadeja (GL): AB de Villiers has struggled to counter left-arm spin this season, falling thrice. Jadeja has his task cut out, to dismiss the South African stalwart early.

Pre-Match Chatter:

"It's always going to be tough. You can always play only four overseas players. We've got some fantastic overseas players. We've got players who can win the game on their own - the likes of McCullum, Finch and Smith. Andrew Tye played a game after many years (in the IPL) and got the hat-trick and the Man of the Match. Indian players we can play seven so we can change a bit." - Mohammad Kaif, GL assistant coach, on selection headaches.

"The thing is in the IPL we're constantly searching for the right balance. In the Mumbai game, we were down by a bowler. Shane (Watson) has been such a successful allrounder in T20 cricket for a long period of time. It's tough for everyone in T20 cricket. We know Chris (Gayle) is a very good performer and we know if he can get on a roll then we can utilise Chris in a positive manner. At this stage we are just trying to find the right balance." - Daniel Vettori, RCB head coach.

Time: 8 PM

Venue: Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot

TV Listings: Sony Six HD, Sony Six, Set Max, Sony ESPN

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