Buoyant Royal Challengers aim to build momentum

Wednesday, May 6, 2015
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Kings XI Punjab might wonder how their campaign has so rapidly spun out of control, after their heartwarming march to the final last year. With only five games to go, they are nailed to the bottom even as once fellow stragglers have moved up to form a cramped mid-section of the points table. It's a no-brainer that they will have to win all their games from now on, and hope for other results to be favourable.

If Kings XI were to examine the whys of their barren run, the simple answer would be their inadequate batting. They have failed to cross 150 in each of the four games they have lost on the trot.

Only David Miller has managed decent contributions in the last two matches, with captain George Bailey not making his starts count. Manan Vohra being indisposed meant they had to play Virender Sehwag, who has managed 2,1,1,1 in his last four innings.

Royal Challengers Bangalore don't have such pressing issues, but will desperately seek two points with their second consecutive win at home. They rested Chris Gayle in Chennai, but they might decide against it for this clash. With their last two home games affected by rain, they will hope the weather remains kinder despite thunderstorms being forecast.

Royal Challengers Bangalore LWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Kings XI Punjab LLLLW

Dinesh Karthik has done very little of significance with the bat, managing only 93 runs from six innings thus far. Despite producing the odd flashy dismissal behind the stumps, Karthik has underachieved in the middle order. He was batting well in the company of his captain, Virat Kohli, against Chennai Super Kings, but once again couldn't kick on for a more substantive score. Attracting Rs 10.5 crore in the auction, there will be pressure on him to provide more bang for buck.

M Vijay has encountered problems of a similar variety. While he has never particularly looked out of touch, 197 runs from eight innings is underwhelming for an opener by any standards. The batting-friendly surface and short boundaries at Chinnaswamy are ideal for him to create a strong base for his team.

"It's just that batsmen are really trying very hard, but it's not coming off. Because of that we are not able to chase down the scores which we generally have the capacity to chase down."
Sanjay Bangar reflects on his team's poor batting display