BENGALURU: The scorching heat in Karnataka this summer has sent the mercury levels north and Friday afternoon rain brought huge relief to a parched Bengaluru. While the city rejoiced, the conditions will have
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
worried.
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Languishing at the bottom of the points table with three wins from 10 matches, the Bengaluru franchise is clinging to a flimsy thread of hope of making the playoffs.
A rain-marred contest against a struggling Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy stadium will wash away even the mathematical chance Faf du Plessis and his men have of advancing in the competition.
Having failed to come together as a unit, RCB have felt the heat this season. After six losses on the trot, they have belatedly found their footing with back-to-back wins with their last one - a commanding nine-wicket win against their Saturday night opponents Gujarat. The visitors have two points and a win more than the hosts, but find themselves in a similar position in the race to playoffs.
Less than a week after losing to RCB on home turf,
Shubman Gill
and his men are here for the return fixture, hoping to cash in on RCB's wobbling fortunes at home - one win in five outings.
Virat Kohli
, the second highest run-getter of the season with 500 runs, is the only Indian player on either side to have made the
T20 World Cup
cut, and will look to continue with his consistent form. But the focus in the weekend gala will be on English all-rounder
Will Jacks
.
Having remained in the dugout for five matches, Jacks made his IPL debut against Mumbai Indians but set the league on fire last week with his unbeaten 41-ball 100. The 25-year-old left GT's spin ace
Rashid Khan
and pacer Mohit Sharma scarred, milking the duo for 57 runs off 11 deliveries.
RCB's loyal legion will hope for the youngster to replicate the form here. RCB's batting line-up which has been let down by inconsistency, will have to bring their act together.
Gujarat too will hope for the batters to come good, especially in the Powerplay which has been a grey area for the team this season. While Wriddhiman Saha will have to weigh in with his experience, Gill, will have to lead with the bat as well.
Sai Sudarshan
has made an impact, but the middle-order has been the bane of Gujarat's challenge.
In bowling, a spin ace in Rashid is the only thing that separates the two teams with RCB lacking a tweaker with pedigree. Pacers on either side have been far from menacing and at a big hitting venue, they will be tested further.
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