They will be hoping he plays a substantial innings as they look to pay tribute to the legend who recently retired from Tests
Skipper Rajat Patidar during RCB’s practice session yesterday. Pic/PTI
The path to the Playoffs is clearly cut out for Royal Challengers Bangalore. If they defeat Lucknow Super Giants in the last league match of the IPL here at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, they will play the Qualifier 1 on Thursday, and if they lose, it will be the Eliminator on Friday.
Either way, it’s not going to be easy as they will be hurried into the Playoffs with hardly any time to recuperate and recover, while the other three qualified teams — Punjab Kings, Mumbai Indians and Gujarat Titans — will have a couple of days rest before they get into the decisive phase of the tournament.
Despite the tight schedule though, RCB’s bowling coach Malolan Rangarajan is not too perturbed. “Since we have our last game here in Lucknow on 27th and then 29th is a potential Qualifier 1, we will be a bit rushed. We’ll finish late [on Tuesday night against LSG], we’ll get to bed quite late, then we’ve got to travel early on the 28th and play on the 29th. But that’s the situation in front of us. So, I think the best way for everyone is to accept that reality and deal with it. The players are used to such situations, and we’ll be ready for that game on the 29th [if they finish in the Top-2 places on the points table].
Strangely, since the resumption of the IPL (following the week-long break due to tensions on the India-Pakistan border), barring Mumbai Indians, the other three qualified teams have all lost momentum. RCB’s last win came on May 3 and they will be desperate to go to New Chandigarh with a win under their belt after losing to Sunrisers Hyderabad in a designated home match here on Friday.
Interestingly, RCB have won all six away matches, not counting the one that was shifted from Bengaluru to Lucknow, and are on the cusp of a unique achievement of winning all seven away matches in an IPL season. “Yes, we’ve got a good away record. We’ve been able to flex for the away conditions really well. So, I’m backing our players to do that again tomorrow,” Rangarajan said, exuding confidence.
For all Virat Kohli fans in Lucknow, this is the final chance to see their hero in action. They will be hoping he plays a substantial innings as they look to pay tribute to the legend who recently retired from Tests.
As for the already-eliminated LSG, they would like to end the season on a high, just like CSK did when they defeated table-toppers Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad on Sunday. That would give India’s newly-appointed Test vice-captain Rishabh Pant a big boost before he leaves for England in a few days. And if he can get a few runs under his belt, it would be the icing on the cake for him after a rather miserable season as both batsman and captain.
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