On April 21, Royal Challengers Bengaluru looked dead and buried, after they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders by a solitary run at Eden Gardens. It was their seventh defeat in eight games and although they mathematically stayed in the competition, their season looked over. As Virat Kohli said, he had already packed his bag.
A day after RCB’s defeat, Rajasthan Royals thumped Mumbai Indians by nine wickets to secure their seventh win in eight games. But as the IPL entered mid-season and meandered towards the business end, things changed dramatically. RCB went on a six-match winning run, while the Royals were in free fall. Four successive losses cost them a top-two finish and now, as they play against a marauding RCB in the Eliminator, they have no room for error.
What changed for RCB? Kohli and Faf du Plessis started to give rapid starts. Rajat Patidar found his form and Cameron Green started to contribute as a finisher, along with Dinesh Karthik. Their bowling also improved. With nothing to lose, they started to play fearless cricket and Kohli’s changed approach was at the forefront of the transformation.
Kohli has been very consistent in this IPL, a reason why he has scored 708 runs in 14 innings. But in the first half of the tournament, he was scoring at a strike-rate of around 147. It jumped to around 170 in the second half. The game against Gujarat Titans on April 28 was the turning point, when the former RCB skipper bossed Rashid Khan & Co during his 70 not out off 44 balls. It came on the heels of Sunil Gavaskar’s strike-rate criticism.
RCB need three more wins to annex the title and once again, they will bank on Kohli to lead from the front. He always turns up in big matches and revels under pressure. From RCB’s perspective, Kohli needs to bat long in the Eliminator and neutralise Royals’ spin duo – Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin.
For Royals, they have to regain their confidence. In sport, a string of defeats can make a telling impact on a team’s morale, and Sanju Samson’s side is now desperately searching for a winning formula. Collectively, their batting hasn’t been performing of late and they must get their act together in a win-or-bust contest. Losing Jos Buttler to England duty has made the Royals weaker and it’s high time Yashasvi Jaiswal rises to the challenge. He has had an average season by his lofty standards – 348 runs in 13 innings. It’s now or never for him and his team.
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