What RCB has in store for them?
The crunch game against MI, the form of Pandey and Taylor, the position for RD is what Jumbo must be thinking at this moment!
A match against Rajasthan Royals again showed how important is the planning and execution for a T-20 match.Every bowler was given a particular role and everyone completed his job in a near perfect way.
Vinay Kumar bowled the short stuff well, Pankaj Singh hit the deck hard, Dale Steyn as usual troubled everyone with his pace, Kallis cramped the batsmen for room with his in-cutters.Not to forget the wily fox Anil Kumble, who went for runs in first couple of overs, but then made a good comeback.
The best thing for RCB is that Dale Steyn is firing just when needed. His spell in last two matches rightly justifies the number one ranking he holds. He is got pace, and on top of that he gets the ball to swing, which is surely a lethal combination.
A little Hara Kiri in the end made it less than ideal finish for RCB. But it was understandable as every team except Mumbai Indians knows the importance of Net Run Rate when it boils down to the remaining three semi-final spots. Feud between Pietersen and kohli must have spoiled the taste of a real sweet victory for RCB. But I hope the patch up they made in the dug-out was not just for camera sake.
RCB have one more reason to be happy.The return to form of the most expensive player for RCB - Kevin Pietersen. But there lies a tricky situation as well. KP has made it clear that he likes to bat at Number 3 position in this format of the game. That puts the question mark on the batting position of Rahul Dravid. RD can't be sent two down because you just can't keep more explosive batsmen like Uthappa and Taylor till the end.Specially, When Uthappa has the best strike rate in this edition of IPL.
For the match against Mumbai Indians, good news is that it will be played in Bangalore, so RCB would actually play 12 men (11 players and the most spirited crowd) against MI's eleven players. The bad news is that Sachin has been the one man army for MI, and we all know that when he gets going, nothing can stop him. Also the most expensive player of the tournament just showed in his previous match, why he commands such a high price.RCB would definitely like to win this game and leave nothing for the run rate to decide.
Two players for RCB are yet to fire in this tournament - Manish Pandey and Ross the Boss.Instead of Ross, had it been any other player, he would have been simply replaced by Cameron White or Eoin Morgan. But the impact Rossy has created in the previous edition of IPL and the Champions league that followed up, has guaranteed his place and we all know that big men like to fire in the crunch game. So let us hope that Rossy has reserved his fireworks for the last three games.
What Manish Pandey actually needs is the pep talk from Jumbo. He is too good a batsmen, it may be just that pressure has got better of him in this edition. He was the most destructive player when he played in his carefree way. Also he is in and out of the side for a while and that may have dented his confidence a little. What Jumbo needs to do is to have little chat with him, show confidence in him, and ask him to play his natural game without worrying about his place in the side.
RCB has a disciplined bowling attack and has the best batting line-up in this entire tournament. There is no reason why they can't go all the way!
Go RCB Go!
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WE should avoid MI in semis , qualify for Champions league ..and above all win the 3rd edition of IPL !