The inaugural leg of the season could aptly be titled as a 'mixed bag' for the Challengers, after recovering from an early setback, to win four games on the trot and sealing off with with two losses.

Match 1. When the Knights had the last laugh..


The opening face-off of RCB was one of the most anticipated game by the fans. What seemed like a recipe, staged at the Mecca of Indian cricket, for a perfect Sunday, turned out to be a dampener of sorts for the Challengers. Kolkata were in charge after Bangalore's talented youngsters, Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli, fell cheaply. From there it was onto the old hands (read Kallis and Dravid) to re-build the inning. An underwhelming total of 135 on a benign track, but not as tiny a target as the Kolkata batsmen made it seemTiwary and Hodge dismantled Bangalore's bowlers in a three over period. Kolkata eased to a victory that reinforced the belief in the side and among their fans after the abysmal shows of last season.


Match 2. Pride redeemed in runs galore.

A cracker of a game where the Kings were tamed, that too with an over to spare. Bisla and Bopara starred in a run amassing total, which saw fierce shots either taking the aerial route or being driver across the rope. Nervous, anxious, hopeful and many more emotions bogged the RCB fans all over. 'RCBTweets' too was rife with speculations as to way lay ahead for the team. At the halfway mark it seemed as if Kings XI Punjab had scored enough to record their first victory of the tournament, but Royal Challengers Bangalore went after the target with such vengeance that Punjab were punished for trespassing on 'home grounds'.
The power hitting from Kallis, Uthappa and Pandey were the highlights of the inning, deflating the bowling side and cutting the target down to size. Such was the impact from RCB's batsmen that the seventies by Bisla and Ravi Bopara were lost in memory.
The turning point of the game was certainly the 13th over, where Uthappa literally had Sreeshanth for dinner The 25 runs conceeded in that over must have haunted the maverick bowler for long. And the erstwhile daunting total of 203, seemed like a cakewalk for Bangalore who finished with & deliveries to spare.

Match 3. Off low scores and a Hat-trick..

A superlative bowling performance by Royal Challengers Bangalore contributed to an abject batting performance by a weakened Rajasthan. Although PK hogged the limelight with the first hat-trick of IPL 2010, it was the combined bowling performance that set the Challengers' platform for back-to-back wins at home. Steyn used his extra pace and bounce to dig it in short to Yusuf and play on his weakness. Warnie and Co. seemed deflated and lost for ideas, after putting up a meagre score of 92, which the formidable Bangalore line up threatened to finish off within 10 overs. Kallis was at his elegant best, clipping the ball off his pads, tearing into his countryman Morne Morkel for 20 in his first over. Pandey, too on the other side showed scant respect to his countryman, Munaf Patel, muscling the ball down the ground. As one sided as it seemed, this victory saw us upping the charts, now only second to the
Mumbai Indians.

Match 4. 'Bangalored' in Aamchi Mumbai

Deja vu for me, this one. Being a part of the Mighty 14, cheering my lungs out for RCB at Brabourne, the review of this match is my first hand account of the live proceeds, post the tournament. After making a decent start, the Mumbai Indians were looking to capitalise, when V Kumar struck, and that too thrice in an over getting rid of 'prized' Tendulkar, Bravo and Rayudu. Kieron Pollard created a semblance of hope for Mumbai when he hit Praveen Kumar for a six, though he was pulled right back by Steyn in the 18th over. There was no role reversal for Jacques Kallis and Manish Pandey, who added more than 50runs at a good pace, for the first wicket denying Mumbai even a glance at a comeback. Thereafter it was just a stroll in the park for Bangalore, made breezier by some lusty hitting from Robin Uthappa and Virat Kohli.

Match 5. Southern Spice.

The Mongoose bat failed to strike and the spinners could not cast a spell for Chennai in this game. RCB's talismanic opener
Jacques Kallis' ubeaten spree so far was brought to a halt after he was bowled for 19. This fixture, a near-sellout, was a paisa vasool for the Bangaloreans since they were in for Robin Uthappa's blitz. Bangalore surged ahead by 24 runs in six balls, thanks to Robin's effort. Confident after Uthappa's heroics, RCB began snuffing out the chase. PK with his knack of getting early wickets got Patel out in the very first over. And a direct hit from Rahul Dravid got rid of Hayden. That breakthrough brought another, and Vinay Kumar's perfect seam position dismissed Bailey and Suresh Raina. Then on it was a lost cause for the Super Kings.

Match 6. Spinner and 'Warner' woes.

Warner's frenetic 14-ball 33 and Mishra's double strike, proved perfect spoiler for RCB's winning streak. Add to it de Villers and Karthik's handsome consolidation and Kedar Jadhav's breezy fifty. Tight opening spells by Nannes and Yadav kept the opening duo Kallis and Pandey on a leash. A brief halt to a long run, Bangalore was still leading the charts despite the loss.

Match 7. Sweet revenge by the Super Kings.

Commendable bowling effort by Chennai prevented RCB from setting up an impregnable target. Spin wizard Murali and rookie
Jakati were as economical as they could get. Murali vijay was the key performer in the Chennai batting lineup, having a 24-run over to his credit. The fear of an early elimination from the tournament drove Chennai Super Kings to deliver their best all-round performance, that too against the table toppers. A loss uncalled for at this stage for the Challengers, earned the epithet of 'sweet revenge of the South'

The next leg of the season raised consistency issues for RCB. Quite confident of sealing the semifinal berth initially,we were actually reduced to pinnig on hopes on the other team's results to make it to the top four. Call it change fate or irony!



Match 8. Been there done that, Punjab Lions tamed. (RCB vs KXIP)


The games against KXIP have been high scoring ones and victory kissed RCB in both the games. Some sloppy fielding from Kings XI Punjab and an over of carnage from Uthappa tipped the match Royal Challengers Bangalore's way after eight overs of sensible batting from Kevin Pieterson and Virat Kohli had kept the game evenly poised. RCB's bowlers were spot-on with the new ball after a couple of ragged performances.But the highlight of the evening certainly was Bisla's dismissal off Skipper Jumbo's dossier. He tried to scoop Kumble over short fine leg, exposed the stumps, and had the furniture rearranged, if I may say.Steyn spearheaded the bowling attack, after an expensive opening spell, by removingthe ominous Sangakarra. In a way Punjab grassed too many chances which paved way for the Challengers victory.Guess they were oblivious to the maxim of 'Catches win matches' after a losing streak.



Match 9 Of failed experiment and classic catches. (RCB vs DD)


It was Paul Collingwoood's day for sure, who outshone a glittering batting lineup and set up a huge total for RCB. After losing the toss on a flat track, Kumble decided to open the bowling against two devastating batsmen, David Warner and Virender Sehwag. Starring in Karnataka's Ranji journey, Mithun tricked Sehwag with a short ball, and for the umpteenth time in his career Viru ended up chopping it onto his stumps.
Catch stunner- Cameron white flung himself in the air to get a stunning catch and prized wicket of Dinesh Karthik. And a classic effort by Warner who tried to catch a big hit from Kallis, lost balance and lobbed the ball up in an attempt to catch it againg. Maybe he was keen on a David Hussey 'remake' While many expected the 'tiger' Kallis to fire in this demanding game but he hardly managed to score, thereby earning the sobriquet of 'Kill-joy' by the countless RCB fans. No wonder the discussion forum was agog with disappointment over Jacques being picked for the forthcoming ties. Second loss to Delhi and the Challenger's erstwhile confident of a Semis berth were now looking shaky.




Match 10. Floored by Suman's knock (RCB vs DC)

A jubiliant Jumbo after having foxed old foe Gilly, Vinay Kumar's genorsity, Kohli hitting the roof with a DLF Maximum and Bangalore harried by Harris, this one had the adrenaline pumping with the liscence to thrill. Virat Kohli was almost air borne this time while batting, for a change, as he evaded the stumps and survied while he tried to hook a short ball off Harris.

The sound of ball striking metal had the home crowd craving for more, and they weren't let down, as Kohli and Jacques Kallis plundered the bowlers in the death overs,though these sixes and fours were more genteel than the one that sparked the surge. But the day, night rather, belonged T Suman who after being promoted to no. 3 stepped up for his team, when the need arised. Playing cameos till now, he looked totally in charge of this game. Assisting him ably was the mighty Symonds.With nine needed of the final over, Vinay gifted Symonds a full toss that was cannoned into the stands. He did better on the next one, pitching it up, only to be drilled over his head to seal Bangalore's fate. A case of 'so close yet so far' for the home crowd who's turned up in full numbers at Chinnaswamy.



Match 11. Challengers deprive the Knights of the last laugh..this time (RCB vs KKR)



The Bangalore bowlers showed total resilience against KKR after bouncing back from an expensive over. Dada's boys were in for some audacious shots by the Jumbo and Co. They were clamouring for him to hit it into the stands and Robin Uthappa obliged spectacularly.Aptly titled by few RCB fans as 'Six'appa. :-D Kolkata's big names blazed with the bat but their performance was undermined by some crafty bowling in the middle overs. Bangalore'successful chase combined Dravid's conventional touch with a dash of Uthappa's ruthless flourish to seal a morale-boosting victory in front of a boisterous crowd at the Chinnaswamy Stadium.



Match 12. Succumbed to Deccan threat yet again :( (RCB vs DC)


A red hot Dale Steyn who pinned the top Deccan order in his first nine deliveries seemed like a knight in shining armour for RCB but much to the dismay of the Challengers the batsmen failed to complement the excellent bowling display. There were several moments in the match when it seemed Royal Challengers Bangalore had nailed the decisive advantage. When Rahul Dravid creamed a classy and effortless 35-ball 49 to put Bangalore right on track in their run-chase; and again, when Uthappa struck two towering sixes off Ryan Harris. But owing to dismal start by Kallis and the wickets galore of Taylor, Kohli and White the face of the game changed drastically for team Banaglore. Yet another loss to the Chargers, who were now on a high after a winning spree. Even the skipper couldnt help but admit how 'the slow start' did the rest of bats in.

Match 13. Royal Re'treat'(RCB vs RR)

Retreat for the Inaugral Champs and a Treat for the Challengers, this match certainly was a seamers delight. Including the former Rajasthan player, Pankaj Singh, in the squad for the game was a tactical move which worked handsomely.
Restricting the Royals early on was the key for RCB. Though Watson and Pathan attempted a repair job, Rajasthan could not recover from the top order collapse and their bowling lacked the bite to steal victory away from Jumbo and boys.


The chase for Bangalore was over in a blink, with Kevin Pietersen taking complete control of the innings with an entertaining knock. Pietersen motored towards an early finish with a big over against Kamran Khan.Yet another under-par score by RR, which RCB finished off without much fuss. Shilpa's fading smiles and VJM's wide grin...What a sight! Thirteen certainly wasn't an unlucky number for the Challengers


Match 14. A 'Royal' thrashing (MI vs RCB)

After the 'treat', the 'thrashing' :-( Little did one expect, when Kallis got the Master out, that it would be advantage Mumbai all the way, in this encounter.Rayudu's blitz coupled with RCB's plodding start served as perfect spoiler for the Challengers. Maybe they were already shaken by the twin low intensity blasts outside the stadium, but Bangalore failed to bounce back. Rayaudu belted 21 off 6 deliveries surging Mumbai to a high. And Duminy took care from there after, sending MI soaring and leaving a mark of desperation amidst RCB fans. With an asking rate of over 10, RCB were rarely in the chase. After the opening duo departed, bangalore's deep batting line up fell prey to Bhajji's doosras spiralling the run rate to over 13. The final league game was thus a dampener and a 'dress rehearsal' of sorts for the semis.

The last leg of the tournament could aptly be titled as a 'Southern sojourn'. The top four teams, three of which were from the south, battled it out at the swanky D.Y. Patil. For RCB, this phase was the most crucial one. Anticipating a thriller, the semi final clash for Bangaloreans turned out to be a dampener. If shifting out the semis from Chinnaswamy was not enough,two back to back losses against MI just added to their woes. But nontheless this match will be remembered for airborne Tendulkar's 'not -so-clean' catch of Dravid and the resultant injury. Boy what an effort that was! Not to forget Kohli's bull eye hit to get rid of Shikhar Dhawan, and Dravid's magnificient cover drives. Amidst the runs galore for team MI and wickets downpour for RCB, what caught my eye was a pensive Jennings, his signature 'fingures crossed' mode, staring intensely with hopes of a second successive final berth flickering to death. Take 2: The third place face-off Ah! a deja vu for the teams this time, the two finalists of last year, were at it again, albeit this time for a third spot clash. True fanatics that we are, a couple of us (read Niyati, Shashank, Nishit and I) headed to the stadium to witness the showdown. And glad we did! Coz the Royal thrashing that the Chargers faced at the hands of the Challengers, was a scene that any RCB fan could want to have witnessed live. The past three ties (since the last finals) avenged finally. Introducing Nayan Doshi was a move RCB think tank should have contemplated for the crucial tie with MI. But alas, as the old saying goes, all's well that ends well. Chasing a meagre total of 92 was a cakewalk for formiddable RCB batting lineup, something which the crowd felt could be achieved withing 10 overs. Our skipper, shone with a stingy economical rate and four crucial wickets and victory with 9 wickets and 37 balls to spare had the Challenger fans grinning ear to ear, delighted that we qualified for the Champions League. South Africa here we come (Also this game made RCB the only IPL to have played the maximum number of T20 games, including the CLT20 last year. The count stands talls with a half century of games) (P.S. Having witnessed both the games live at the stadium, the reviews have been written keeping in mind a fan's perspective)