Royal Challengers eye home improvement against struggling RR

Struggling to find form in their own den, Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to regain control of their IPL campaign at home when they meet a floundering Rajasthan Royals here on Thursday.

RCB’s three defeats at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in as many matches offer one of the biggest paradoxes of this edition. An outfit that has steamrolled opposition in all parts of the country has been left chasing shadows in its own backyard.

The RCB batters have appeared strangely subdued and their bowlers seem to have forgotten the lengths to adopt here. Central to that woeful run is the changed character of the 22-yard strip here which has offered some grip to the bowlers.

The Bengaluru batters are yet to find the right tempo to tide over the slowness in the pitch, as they seem to have been caught in the dilemma of whether to step on the gas or not.

It’s evident in the team’s totals here so far — 169/8, 163/7 and 95/9 (14 overs). They have scored over 9-10 runs an over at other venues, but here the rate has dropped down to 7-8 runs an over.

Their mainstay Virat Kohli has been in decent form this season, averaging 64, but more would be expected of Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal and skipper Rajat Patidar.

The inconsistent bounce is holding back the RCB batters, particularly after the powerplay segment and, hopefully, they will find the rhythm against RR.

The Bhuvneshwar Kumar-led bowling attack’s story is not different either. Despite the deck offering some assistance they have not been able to fully utilise the conditions here, unable to find the right spots.

RCB currently have 10 points to be placed at third on the table but Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants also have 10 points. Mumbai Indians are quietly sneaking up the ladder with eight points.

Therefore, a favourable result will help RCB to stay above the possible mid-table logjam of four teams with 10 points.

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