The hosts have managed just two wins in six matches. One of them came on Saturday day, therefore Dravid's side can bank on that momentum. But if one talks of momentum, how about four wins on the trot? That’s what the Kings XI have managed. Having started the IPL on a losing note, Kings XI lost their second match as too but have since gone from strength to strength, including a win over the formidable Delhi Daredevils.

More downs than ups

On the other hand, the home team has seen some ups but more dips in their stuttering campaign so far. The win against the Chargers -- the first in front of their home crowd -- will surely have lifted their shattered morale a great deal, but the manner of the victory against a team scraping the bottom should not the hosts false confidence. Come to think of it, their only other victory has come against another struggling side in the league, the Mumbai Indians.

Right from the day of the IPL auctions, we have been led to believe that the Challengers are capable of winning consistently in the ultra abridged version. Sadly, the wins have been few and far between. On the face of it, the Challengers wear a look that seems capable of bringing the best sides to their knees. Any team that with players of the calibre of Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Misbah-ul-Haq among the batsmen and a bowling attack boasting Dale Steyn, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Kallis and Anil Kumble must fancy its chances more often than not. But somehow, the Challengers have managed court defeat when victories have appeared easier to achieve.

On Saturday night, the Challengers got a bit lucky as Chargers contrived to snatch defeat from a seemingly winning position, but the Bangaloreans can't bank on fortune again against the Kings XI. However hard it might be to digest for skipper Dravid, it's a fact that Kallis -- the highest paid player in the side apart from Icon Player behind Dravid himself -- has been disappointing, to say the least. His batting has been wavering while bowling has failed to rise above the mediocre. Camron White was suppose to be the potential star of the IPL, but the Aussie T20 specialist hasn't played after the first game.

Striking back

On the other hand, Kings XI seem to have hit the perfect chord after the initial setbacks. Despite the departure of their spearhead Brett Lee, they still have enough in their bowling arsenal, with Irfan Pathan the highest wicket-taker in the league. VRV Singh and S Sreesanth too have come to the party, making for a fine set of pacemen well complemented by fast improving leggie Piyush Chawla.

But it's the visitors' batting that is their USP. With the likes of skipper Yuvraj Singh, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene and Shaun Marsh in the line-up, the batting can intimidate any attack.

Having cracked the game from a seemingly hopeless situation against the Chargers, the Challengers bowlers have received a timely fillip, but it's the batting department that needs to get its act together.

Teams (from):

Royal Challengers: Rahul Dravid (capt), Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher, Wasim Jaffer, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Cameron White, Misbah-ul-Haq, Dale Steyn, Virat Kohli, Sreevats Goswami, Abdur Razzak, Zaheer Khan, Praveen Kumar, Vinay Kumar, Sunil Joshi, B Akhil, Devraj Patil, NC Aiyappa.
Kings XI Punjab: Yuvraj Singh (capt), Shaun Marsh, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Kumar Sangakkara, Yuvraj Singh, Mahela Jayawardene, Karan Goel, Irfan Pathan, Piyush Chawla, S Sreesanth, VRV Singh, Gagandeep Singh, James Hopes, Luke Pomersbach.
Umpires: Steve Davis and Billy Doctrove. Third umpire: Suresh Shastri. Match referee: Clive Lloyd.