Back Story: Rajasthan Royals look to go back top versus resurgent Royal Challengers Bangalore
RCB (beat DD)
What went right: Mitchell Starc. He’s the best fast bowler in limited-overs cricket at the moment by a distance. And his late-ish arrival to the RCB squad has coincided with Bangalore’s revival. Coming from an injury lay-off, Starc has played three matches in this IPL, taking seven wickets. He has accounted for an opposition batter in every 10.2 balls. Starc is even more dangerous at the death, when he makes the ball reverse.
Against Delhi, he came back for his second spell after 14 overs, made short work of Amit Mishra with a deadly yorker and then, in his final over, produced another one to clean up Shahbaz Nadeem. Starc’s arrival has also fired up Varun Aaron. The two fast bowlers decimated Delhi, sharing five wickets between them.
What went wrong: Not much really. When you bundle out your opponents for 95 in a T20 game and win by 10 wickets with 57 balls to spare, then you’re ticking all the right boxes. Bangalore’s challenge would be to keep the momentum going.
RR (washout)
What went right: Rajasthan probably didn’t mind the damp squib at the Eden Gardens. It secured one point and helped them stay on top with 11 points from eight matches. Facing KKR at home has always been a difficult proposition for visiting sides. And Rajasthan had come to Kolkata on the heels of back-to-back losses. The break might just have helped them regroup.
What went wrong: James Faulkner has had been a big let down so far this season. The Australian all-rounder is one of the most versatile cricketers in the team with his accurate bowling in the middle overs and power-hitting at the death. The 24-year-old, however, is struggling to get into the groove, especially as a bowler. A tally of four wickets from seven matches at an economy rate of 9.30 is not Faulkner-like.
Conclusion
Bangalore have become a different team after sorting out their batting order. Rajasthan need some pace and swing upfront to pose a threat to the Gayle, Kohli and AB axis. Maybe it’s time to bring back Tim Southee.
