Team RC loses to Gilchrist, Marsh

The Law of averages did catch up Chris Gayle. And with him, the whole of Team Royal Challengers were caught in the wrong foot. A massive defeat in the hands of Kings Eleven Punjab. Or should I say, in the hands of a wily old man who has already finished his international career and is about to play his last rounds of IPL cricket too - Adam Gilchrist and another who is just about to start his - Shaun Marsh. Amidst their masterful but maddening craft tonight with the willow, coupled with Gayle's 7-ball duck, the top order collapse, Royal Challengers were diminished to mere mortals from throne of "The Invincibles".

The Law of averages did catch up Chris Gayle. And with him, the whole of Team Royal Challengers were caught in the wrong foot. A massive defeat in the hands of Kings Eleven Punjab. Or should I say, in the hands of a wily old man who has already finished his international career and is about to play his last rounds of IPL cricket too - Adam Gilchrist and another who is just about to start his - Shaun Marsh. Amidst their masterful but maddening craft tonight with the willow, coupled with Gayle's 7-ball duck, the top order collapse, Royal Challengers were diminished to mere mortals from throne of "The Invincibles".

206 run partnership between Gilly and Marsh wasn't the only high point of the match. A 55 ball 106 including 8 fours and 9 blazing sixes by Gilchrist is. He set along with Marsh from the fourth over and carried on in a journey which ended one ball shy of last over. That 16 over stretch wasn't dull for a moment. How can it be when both were going at 13 runs an over on an average. For once, the RC bowlers were all at sea.

The record 7 match winning streak has been murderously broken now. But a defeat tonight was more choking because of the margin it captured. 111 runs. That does more damage to the morale of the team than to its Net Run rate. Though from a (+0.8) down to (+0.2) isn't exactly a nice story to tell, but the manner of the defeat injects a telling blow to the morale of the team. With one game left in the groupstage, it becomes imperative for the team to pick from here and return to winning ways before the play-offs, because winning can always brings back the best camaraderie in the team.

No doubt, we will see Gaylestorm lashing again. Now, one can't expect a storm everytime, can we?