IPL 2019, RCB vs KXIP: Upbeat Bangalore hope to continue their revival

BENGALURU: There is perhaps nothing to rival a win from an improbable situation to boost a team’s confidence. More so when it comes against Chennai Super Kings — the most successful team in the IPL and easily one of the title favourites. Following their last-ball, one-run win on Sunday night, Royal Challengers Bangalore’s confidence ought to be sky-high.

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It was only their third win in 10 matches for the Virat Kohli-led team and while their chances of making the playoffs still hang by a thread, it did give them renewed hope and vigour. They certainly look a lot more confident and assured over the last few days.

The question is can they carry their confidence into their next four matches — games they must win? On Wednesday, they host Kings XI Punjab, a team which probably feels more at home at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium than RCB themselves.

For years, Punjab’s explosive opener Chris Gayle exhibited his big-hitting prowess at this venue, while the fulcrum of Karnataka’s top order – KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Karun Nair — are in the opposition camp. In fact, both Mayank and Rahul cut their teeth in the T20 league with the Bengaluru franchise. Former RCBians Sarfaraz Khan, Mandeep Singh and M Ashwin too are in the Kings’ mix.

On match eve, Mayank admitted that familiarity with the venue works in his team’s favour. “Obviously, knowing the dimensions of the ground, how the wicket plays, the requirements in this ground and what has been the trend does make a difference. The more people who know that, it makes it easier to take better decisions which in turn can help us perform better and gives us a better chance to win the game.”

RCB will be wary of Gayle’s (421 runs) and Rahul’s (399) ominous form. Between them, the duo has scored almost half the 1,721 runs scored by Punjab in 10 matches. And both are back to one of their favourite hunting grounds. At the M Chinnaswamy stadium, Gayle had scored 175, the highest individual score in the IPL, while Rahul has a triple century in Ranji Trophy here.

The R Ashwin-led side has returned a mixed bag so far, with five wins and as many losses in 10 outings. With 10 points in their kitty, Punjab will have to win at least three of the next four matches to ensure passage into the playoffs.

On the bowling front, pacer Mohammad Shami and R Ashwin will continue to be the mainstays. For RCB, the form of the top-order trio of Parthiv Patel, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers will be crucial. Leading the batting charts for their side, they will look for support from the middle-order which comprises Moeen Ali – who will feature in his last match of the IPL season, Marcus Stoinis and a young Akshdeep Nath.

Whether they bat first or not, the form of their bowlers will make all the difference for RCB. While seasoned pacer Dale Steyn has made an instant impact in the first two matches, especially in powerplay, their performance in the death overs has been appalling. Even in the one-run win over Chennai, they conceded 68 runs in the last five overs with Umesh Yadav leaking 24 runs in five balls.

However, Kohli and Co. will also take confidence from the fact that their first win of the season came against Kings XI Punjab in the away game