Royal Challengers set for take-off

Spotlight on Gayle, Kohli as Vettoris men take on Delhi Daredevils in their opener today

Former German football captain Jurgen Klinsmann once summed up expectations thus: “It could become a burden for you or it could become something that you are proud of.”

Royal Challengers Bangalore would easily relate themselves with those words, and their progress in the fifth edition of the Indian Premier League will be determined to a good extent by which side of that statement they stand.

When they take the field against Delhi Daredevils here on Saturday in their IPL opener, almost every individual in the Royal Challengers line-up will feel the pressure of massive levels of expectations on them from a set of passionate fans, and they can’t be faulted on that count, for the M Chinnaswamy stadium has been an RCB fortress over the last four editions of the IPL, barring a few hiccups. But two individuals will have to handle the pressure of expectations more than the others -- Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli.

That may sound a bit unfair in a team set up, but their deeds in the last season have made deep impressions on the fans’ psyche. Gayle was nothing less than sensational once he joined RCB in the match against Kolkata Knight Riders, beginning his stint with a hundred that also fuelled a turnaround in the team’s fortunes. The Gayle storm that kicked up at the Eden Gardens seldom stopped as the Jamaican garnered more than 600 runs at an astounding strike-rate of 183.13 in IPL IV. Kohli was less palpable in inflicting damage on opposition, but there was no denying his effectiveness as the Indo-West Indian duo plundered 1165 runs between them in 28 matches.

It’s quite natural then that they will be the objects of fans’ high expectations and the only dampner is Gayle’s groin injury that he had suffered in February while turning out for Barisal Burners against Chittagong Kings in the Bangladesh Premier League. The niggle also prevented him from appearing for the Dolphins in the MiWay T20 Challenge in South Africa. However, the sight of Gayle having an active net session on Friday evening at the KSCA ‘B’ grounds might have eased a lot of nerves in the RCB camp.

Kohli has been the toast of the nation for the last one-year or so, after producing a string of wonderful knocks in Tests and 50-over format around the world. In this period, the Delhi lad has registered hundreds in England and Australia besides the sub-continent, making him the hottest property in Indian cricket at the moment. If the maturity that Kohli has showed in recent times is an indication, then it will be easy to guess how he is going to deal with Bangaloreans’ expectations on him. From the team’s perspective, skipper Daniel Vettori’s presence will be vital as the Kiwi is a person who retains his equanimity on and off the field, and a calm leader of men who knows how to guide them through periods of defeats and victory -- tough tasks in their own right.

Virender Sehwag’s Daredevils are a formidable foes, and their confidence will be high after beating Knight Riders in their own den on Thursday. On a slightly helpful wicket, pacers Morne Morkel and Umesh Yadav rattled Kolkatans with lively spells, but the pitch here could be a lot flatter and it will require more than just raw pace to get the desired results. While the 22-yard strip will test the craftiness of the bowlers, it will also test the big-hitting prowess of the batsmen.

Who’s going to unleash the mayhem? Sehwag, Kohli, AB de Villiers, Irfan Pathan or the one and only Gayle?