JOIN USBangalore face Chargers test
Early in IPL IV, they were presented with a golden opportunity of seeing where they stood when pitted against the big boys, and there aren’t too many bigger boys in this edition than Mumbai Indians.
Sachin Tendulkar’s side put on an extraordinary display of collective brilliance to brush aside RCB’s seemingly half-hearted challenge. Given the nature and scheduling of this Twenty20 competition, the Challengers have very little turnover time as they run into laggards Deccan Chargers at the Rajiv Gandhi International stadium in Uppal on Thursday night.
It’s impossible to say if the momentum generated by their convincing victory over the Kochi Tuskers in their tournament opener has been lost, but the Challengers must get their campaign back on track, and immediately. Despite edition four still being in the early stages, no team can afford to begin poorly and expect to catch up in the later stages. It’s imperative, therefore, for Daniel Vettori to rouse his boys from Tuesday’s crushing defeat, and prepare them for a desperate charge from the home side, winless after its first two encounters.
There is enough experience and wisdom in the Challengers ranks not to be disheartened after one loss. They will acknowledge that they were beaten by a better side, though they will also admit that they themselves could have played better cricket.
That said, the Chargers don’t have the same aura around them, and they will not only have to battle their own poor start but also arrest a streak of 10 consecutive losses in their home ground.
In light of the first two games, the Challengers will perhaps be forced to have a re-look at their composition.
Abhimanyu Mithun hasn’t quite hit his straps and might make way for left-arm medium-pacer S Arvind, especially given that Dirk Nannes hasn’t recovered fully from the back spasms that allowed him to bowl just one over during the Indians’ successful run chase, and hasn’t travelled with the team.
There are signs that the batting is beginning to gather shape and understanding. AB de Villiers has been in top form while Tillakaratne Dilshan put in the hard yards against a versatile, top-quality Mumbai Indians attack.
Both these overseas professionals will have to be on top of their game against a formidable Chargers pace attack spearheaded by former RCB star Dale Steyn and Ishant Sharma, seeking to make a strong pitch for national recall.
The Chargers don’t have too many players familiar with playing in Uppal, and therefore not many who carry the baggage of past misadventures. One of the constants is Pragyan Ojha, the left-arm spinner who played influential roles in the earlier editions of the IPL and who was desperately unlucky to miss out on a World Cup berth.
He will always be a threat even if he hasn’t started this season particularly well, and forms a potent spin threat alongside leggie Amit Mishra.
Where the Chargers have stumbled has been in their batting.
Heavily reliant on their captain, they haven’t been helped by Sangakkara’s ordinary beginning to the season.
There is depth in the shape of JP Duminy, Bangalore boy Bharath Chipli and hard-hitting Australian Daniel Christian, but the Chargers must get off to a good start, string partnerships together and make the early running if they have to put Zaheer Khan, Vettori and company under pressure all the way through. Australian Cameron White will arrive from Dhaka on Thursday afternoon, and it remains to be seen if he is thrust into the battlefield straightaway.
The law of averages suggests that at some stage soon, the Chargers will end the home curse and delight their faithfuls, who at the moment are at a premium.
The Challengers will be hoping Thursday isn’t the day when the turnaround begins.
Teams (from):
Deccan Chargers: Kumar Sangakkara (capt), Shikhar Dhawan, Ishank Jaggi, Bharath Chipli, JP Duminy, Daniel Christian, DB Ravi Teja, Dale Steyn, Amit Mishra, Ishant Sharma, Pragyan Ojha, Cameron White, Rusty Theron, Michael Lumb, Sunny Sohal, Manpreet Gony, Arjun Yadav, Ashish Reddy, Anand Rajan, Ankit Sharma, Akash Bhandari, Kedar Devdhar, Harmeet Singh, Chris Lynn, Ishan Malhotra, Jaydev Shah.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Daniel Vettori (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Sourabh Tiwary, Asad Pathan, Cheteshwar Pujara, Charl Langeveldt, S Arvind, Zaheer Khan,, Abhimanyu Mithun, Rilee Rossouw, Johan van der Wath, Jonathan Vandiar, CM Gautam, Luke Pomersbach, Ryan Ninan, Nuwan Pradeep, Mohammad Kaif, Abrar Kazi, KB Arun Karthik, Raju Bhatkal, BN Bharath.