Batting stalwart Virat Kohli’s wretched form will once again come under scrutiny when Royal Challengers Bangalore face table-toppers Gujarat Titans at the Brabourne Stadium on Saturday.
Kohli has scored a mere 128 runs in nine matches for RCB this season with 48 being his highest score. His promotion to the opening slot in RCB’s previous match after scoring back-to-back ducks too did not yield results as he was out for nine.
Kohli’s form has been one of the reasons for the inconsistent show of RCB who are currently at fifth spot with five wins from nine matches.
RCB, though, are hoping that the former India captain will return to form soon with skipper Faf du Plessis backing him.
On the other hand, the Titans have been the side to watch this IPL. Whatever they have touched has turned to gold with unlikely match winners emerging every time they were in trouble.
With seven wins from eight matches and on a five-match winning streak, the Titans are the clear favourites to win Saturday’s match. If they do that, they will virtually book their playoff berth.
In their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, the Titans were struggling in a stiff chase of 196, but Rashid Khan, known more for his leg-spin exploits, and proven finisher Rahul Tewatia struck four sixes in the last over to steal the match from their opponents. The Titans have shown that if their top-order fails, there is assurance that the lower order can bail the team out, though captain Hardik Pandya is hoping that his side’s luck does not run out later in the tournament.
It is not that RCB do not have the batting depth, but the problem is that they have not fired as a team on many occasions. Besides Kohli’s struggle, Australian Glenn Maxwell has blown hot and cold with just 124 runs from six matches.
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