RCB look to build on momentum

Bengaluru: Just as rain avoided the City, victories eluded Royal Challengers Bengaluru. The former for six months. The latter for a month and six games.

Now, the rain has arrived, and RCB have won two in a row. 

As relieving as two statements might be to those praying one or the other, come Saturday, one will have to make way for the other.

If it doesn’t rain, the frustrated folks of this City will revert to looking decidedly annoyed.  

If it does rain, RCB’s chances of making it to the play-offs will be all but over. 

What would you rather?

Sure, it could rain a bunch and clear up in time for the Karnataka State Cricket Association’s miracle machine (the Sub-air System) to get the ground ready in time for RCB’s game against the Gujarat Titans. This way, the cravings of both parties are satiated. 

Realistically, though, it is going to rain and the game is going to face stoppages if it does get going. The only real thing that matters is to see if RCB can pick up two points and keep their hopes - the mathematical ones - alive. Or, they settle for one and make it that much harder to make the final four. 

With six points from 10 games, RCB are at the bottom of the table. They’re on par with the ninth-placed Mumbai Indians as far as victories and losses are concerned, but their Net Run Rate has lined them up for the wooden spoon. 

Still, with four games left for the conclusion of the league phase, RCB could pick up eight points to jump to 14 points, and that allows them to remain in conversation for a spot in the play-offs. In fact, even 12 points give them that freedom, but they need a miracle - not unlike the one they’re chasing at the moment - for it all to pan out as prayed for. 

Things have begun looking up for them in that Will Jacks has come to the party, Cameron Green has woken up to his potential, and Virat Kohli is still doing Kohli-esque things. 

Bowling is still a predicament because none of them has looked inspiring, and the M Chinnaswamy stadium only amplifies their insecurities.

Luckily for RCB, the Titans haven’t been particularly proficient either, sitting at eighth on the table with eight points from 10 games. The odds of them progressing is marginally better, but their current form doesn’t bode well for their psyche. 

Shubman Gill’s side has looked good but hasn’t been good. From their batters to their bowlers, they have not been able to find the right gear for the job. Even in their last fixture, against RCB, they were rather beige.  

Even Rashid Khan, who is typically always on point, has looked pedestrian with the ball this season with eight wickets from 10 matches while giving away over eight runs an over. He was as expensive as the previous season, but he had the wickets to show for.

This game won’t be about Rashid though. He could play a part, but more time will be spent by the local loyalists staring at the sky while keeping their fingers crossed for a team they continue to call their own.