This is the time for the big guns to fire, and make sure that RCB have enough to challenge GT, and seal off qualification. This is the moment of truth.
Bengaluru: This has been quite an edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). With just a handful of games to go till this weekend, only one side had sealed its spot in the knockout stage. Gujarat Titans (GT), sitting pretty on top of the IPL 2023 points tally, will be the next hurdle for Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), whose entire season now depends on how they fare in this game, and also on how thigs pan out in the Mumbai Indians-SunRisers Hyderabad match. It can be safely said that no side would like to meet GT presently, not least in a much-win game as RCB have. This will be quite a mountain to climb, irrespective of RCB’s recent fine form.
The Bengaluru outfit are on 14 points from 13 games, precariously hanging on to 4th position with MI, also on 14, just below them on Nett Run-Rate (NRR). So RCB have not only to beat GT and get to 16, they also need to do it with by a wide margin of runs or wickets and keep their NRR ahead of MI.
Scoring runs has not been a problem for RCB, but given their top three click. There is not one other such top-heavy side in IPL 2023. It is on Virat Kohli, skipper Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell to score. Otherwise, RCB will lose. It seems as simple as that.
Kohli and Du Plessis did score against SRH in their last game, hammering home a 172-run opening stand with Kohli registering yet another IPL century. Such was the domination that RCB could well have won by 10 wickets.
The win did wonders to their NRR while MI, with a loss to Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), saw their NRR fall. As things stand, RCB are at 0.180 and MI, at 6th position, are a minus-0.128.
So, if RCB lose and MI win, it will be curtains for the former.
Hardly the best scenario to take on the most relaxed side in GT, with the best bowling in the business. With Mohammad Shami, Mohit Sharma, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad is sensational form, the pace and spin departments have both been excellent.
The batting, with Shubman Gill up the order, where he scored a hundred in the game against SRH, Sai Sudershan, skipper Hardik Pandya, David Miller, and Rahul Tewatia, not to mention Wriddhiman Saha and Dasun Shanaka, is quite daunting.
As for RCB, they really need their middle-order to come to the party. It is strange to see the top three being almost solely the fulcrum that decides whether RCB win or lose. Against GT, all three will be sorely tried and the rest, specially Mahipal Lomror and Anuj Rawat, to be consistent.
As for the bowling, Mohammed Siraj has been a revelation, while Wayne Parnell has been good. The spin department in Michael Bracewell and Shahbaz Ahmed will be challenged by GT, for sure, as will the other bowlers.
This is the time for the big guns to fire, and make sure that RCB have enough to challenge GT, and seal off qualification. This is the moment of truth.
