IPL 2020
Kohli will depend on Saini to hand over RCB in the event of death. © BCCI
At the end of an intense Royal Challengers Bangalore training session that saw Navdeep Saini smash Virat Kohli’s bat with a quick delivery, bowling coach Adam Griffith had his fast men aim for a water bottle placed on the edge of the tram line. It was similar to the yorker challenge the team had participated in during preseason camp with the added caveat that the full and fast ball now had to be thrown out of reach of the imaginary hitter. Saini continued to be excellent, while Umesh Yadav also corrected his worry lines as the session progressed.
This is a response to the meeting call from head coach Simon Katich, who despite the positive start to the season, wants his team to be more ruthless in closing matches. That, for RCB, can only mean one thing: improving death bowling. In the eight overs thrown to the death (16-20) against Punjab and Mumbai, they conceded 163 runs with an economy of 20.4, staggering even by RCB standards. And they haven’t played in Sharjah yet.
Unlike the straight yorker, which has a lower margin of error, the width is an important defensive weapon in fields like Abu Dhabi, where RCB travels alongside the Rajasthan Royals. In fact, a member of his opponent, Ankit Rajpoot, is an advocate of this craft and even earned the Royal Pagdi, a traditional turban given to the promising Royals player of the match, for denying KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal of Punjab a Single limit on the 16th of your crash. Rajpoot also used this wide, full ball to great effect against the Knight Riders, causing Andre Russell to cut off a delivery of the tram tracks to the third man.
The concern of the Royals, who also have two wins out of three, is their batting order and the best way to ignore Sharjah’s hangover. When the cream is removed on top, Rajasthan found that its center can be quite soft. Will they try to break the initial Buttler-Smith alliance so that one of the seasoned internationals can organize the middle order and take a toll on RCB’s weaknesses?
When: Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 15, Oct 3, 2:00 PM local, 3:30 PM IST
Where: Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi
What not to expect: Dew. This is the first of this season’s afternoon games and spinners are expected to be all the rage.
Neither team has played in Abu Dhabi, but the three similar matches played in Dubai should give RCB a slight advantage. Both Virat Kohli and Smith will consider the advantage of putting pressure on the scoreboard in a sun-drenched field that slows down over time. Keep an eye out for AB de Villiers, who did not come out to collect his Man of the Match award against the Mumbai Indians due to dehydration. Now he will have to avoid the windows and face the heat of people like Jofra Archer in the hardest time of the day.
Team news:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Chris Morris only hit takedowns on RCB nets Thursday night. The off-roader is still working to get back in top shape and may not be ready for this game yet. Isuru Udana and Adam Zampa should keep their places.
Probable XI: Devdutt Padikkal, Aaron Finch, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers (week), Shivam Dube, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Isuru Udana, Washington Sundar, Adam Zampa, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal
Royals of Rajasthan
Yashasvi Jaiswal, abandoned after a match against CSK, could be retired in place of a spotty Robin Uthappa. That will give the Royals an extra southpaw to counter the two spinning dummies, but could make him a target for Washington Sundar at PowerPlay. Alternatively, the Royals could also have Manan Vohra open and allow one of Buttler or Smith to add weight to a rough medium order.
Probable XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler (week), Sanju Samson, Steve Smith (c), Rahul Tewatia, Riyan Parag, Tom Curran, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Ankit Rajpoot, Jaydev Unadkat
Did you know
– Gopal has fired Kohli three times and De Villiers four times in the 40 cumulative deliveries he has released to the RCB couple. He eliminated both players en route to his hat-trick last season.
– Chahal has an equally successful record against Samson, firing him three times for the cost of just 23 runs.
– Fast bowlers on both teams have struggled so far on PowerPlay, taking just one wicket each in the first three games.
What they say:
“Here the grounds are good, the limits are bigger, so the hitters have to think. They have to make clean shots. In Chinnaswamy, even the mishits go for six or four. Here they have to time well, give him more power so that There are a lot of opportunities.You can fly the ball, challenge the hitters more here. [But] if they are on the defensive it is fine. I’m happy to concede 16 and run out of ground in my four overs. ” Yuzvendra chahal he’s enjoying the welcome away from Chinnaswamy Stadium.
“You think about playing against Dhoni or Kohli as they move towards the gate and the crowd goes wild. Obviously that doesn’t happen behind closed doors, and maybe that can help some of the younger players who are playing against them.” – Jos Buttler feels empty stands could have a positive impact on the ‘fear factor’ associated with youth as they take on the giants of the game.
© Cricbuzz
