Rajasthan face formidable Bangalore in must-win tie (Preview)

It is a do-or-die contest for Rajasthan, to qualify for the play-offs they need to win each of their remaining three matches. But, it would be an arduous task to accomplish as they are pitted against a formidable opposition, Bangalore. The Chris Gayle powered side have been in devastating form winning five consecutive matches.

The Bangalore juggernaut has steamrolled everybody coming in their way courtesy their fearsome batting led by marauder Chris Gayle. However, for the home side these are worrying times. Their impeccable home record was tarnished when Chennai comprehensively beat then at the SMS stadium just two days ago. They now have little time to regroup and get their faltering campaign back on track.

It would be an emotional occasion for the home fans as well as the players; skipper Shane Warne is playing his last IPL match in Jaipur after the charismatic leader announced that he is retiring at the end of this edition. Expect a packed house at the stadium that was dubbed as Rajasthan’s fortress where Warne would try to produce one last magical spell. Emotions apart, the job at hand for the Shilpa Shetty owned side is not easy. Most teams would prefer to stay away form an in-form Gayle especially in a must-win situation. But, the home teams don’t have an option.

The pitch used during the Chennai match has generated some controversy but the Bangalore batting is capable of tearing apart any bowling attack on any surface. So, the bowlers have to get their act together and somehow prevent the Bangalore batsmen from running away with the game. Likewise, the home batsmen especially Shane Watson and Ross Taylor have been hot and cold. They just can’t afford any more slip ups in the batting department.

The arrival of West Indian Chris Gayle has turned it around for Bangalore. After few defeats they have now blasted their way to fourth spot on the league standings. Gayle’s opening partner, Tillakaratne Dilshan too found his feet in their last match and got a confidence boosting half-century. If that wasn’t enough, the presence of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers adds firepower to the already strong batting.

Their bowling and fielding hasn’t disappointed either. The two senior pros, Zaheer Kahn and Daniel Vettori have been excellent with the ball. Gayle has brought his devastating form into his bowling with some scalps in his kitty. Their fielding has also played its part.

Going into this match, Bangalore are overwhelming favorites but Rajasthan may spring a surprise especially if they get Gayle early otherwise it would be all over for Warne and co.

RAJASTHAN

Players who can make impact…

Shane Warne….The spin wizard is playing one last time in front of his home crowd and the occasion should fire up the spin legend to give his fans an occasion to rejoice and help his team to stay in the hunt for a second IPL crown.

Shane Watson….The burly all-rounder hasn’t reproduced his form in IPL-4 and although, his bowling has been all right, the batting hasn’t come good on a consistent basis. With the fragile Rajasthan batting depending on him, the Aussie would have to produce a good innings to prevent his team from another loss.

SQUAD

Aakash Chopra, Abhishek Raut, Aditya Dole, Ajinkya Rahane, Amit Paunikar, Amit Singh, Ankeet Chavan, Ashok Menaria, Deepak Chahar, Dinesh Salunkhe, Dishant Yagnik, Faiz Fazal, Johan Botha, Nayan Doshi, Pankaj Singh, Pinal Shah, Rahul Dravid, Ross Taylor, Samad Fallah, Shane Warne (c), Shane Watson, Shaun Tait, Siddharth Trivedi, Stuart Binny, Sumit Narwal, Swapnil Asnodkar.

BANGALORE

Players who can make impact…

Chris Gayle….The shock therapy by Chris Gayle should continue, no matter how good or bad the SMS track is. Though, he is far away from the ‘orange cap’, another century should do it for him.

Zaheer Khan…Though the left armer has been steady so far, he is best known for intelligent variations and wickets when the team needs them badly.

SQUAD

AB de Villiers, Abhimanyu Mithun,Abrar Kazi,Arun Karthik,Asad Pathan,BN Barath,Charl Langeveldt,Cheteshwar Pujara, Daniel Vettori (c),Dirk Nannes,Johan van der Wath, Jonathan Vandiar,Luke Pomersbach,Mayank Agarwal,Mohammad Kaif,Muralidharen Gautam,Nuwan Pradeep,Raju Bhatkal,Rilee Rossouw,Ryan Ninan,Saurabh Tiwary, Sreenath Aravind, Tillakaratne Dilshan,Virat Kohli, Zaheer Khan.