IPL 9: Bowlers deserve credit too for helping RCB, SRH to reach final

Bangalore Former India pacer Venkatesh Prasad whorsquos also been the bowling coach of the Indian team and the Royal Challengers Bangalore RCB in the past has always maintained that bowlers are not there just to make up the numbers in T20 cricket ldquoWith the batsmen having no choice but to come at you itrsquos a great opportunity to pick up wicketsrdquo has been Prasadrsquos mantraSunrisers Hyderabad pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar left is the Purple Cap holder with 23 wickets in 16 games while RCB spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has bagged 20 wickets in 12 matches PICSAfpWe are seeing proof of that even with the much maligned attack that RCB possess Taken to the cleaners by most teams in the early part of the tournament the RCB bowlers have been quietly making inroads They started by defending the big totals put together by their batsmen then restricted a strong Kolkata lineup the same outfit who had smashed them at home in Bangalore when it really matteredLater in a virtual quarterfinal they kept the young batting might of Delhi to a small score on a Raipur pitch that wasnrsquot by any means bad for batting and finally pushed the Suresh Rainaled Gujarat Lions batting down to less than 160 in Qualifier 1All said and done and despite the 20 wickets each that leggie Yuzvendra Chahal and allrounder Shane Watson have bagged the RCB attack that now regularly includes S Aravind Chris Jordan and the opening over specialist Stuart Binny pales in comparison to what Sunrisers Hyderabad possessBhuvneshwar Kumarrsquos claim to fame began in Bangalore some years back when he made his India debut in a T20 international against Pakistan His swinging ways have been curtailed since then but he has added a crucial yard or two of pace Besides he has gained experience and thus become a better bowler with clever variationsHe had for company that wily old fox Ashish Nehra but now has a less craftier but very enthusiastic Barinder Sarin to bowl alongsideThen there is Mustafiqur Rahman any captainrsquos delight How David Warner will be hoping that the niggle which forced Rahman out in their last game is gone Trent Boult is not a bad replacement but Rahman who has 16 wickets at a fantastic economy of 673 is in a different league With Purple Cap holder Kumar picking up 23 going at 750 an over this despite bowling in the Powerplay and the death you know that bowling does play its part in this format tooLetrsquos wait and see which set of bowlers has the last laugh750SRH pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumarrsquos economy rate in the ongoing IPL editionRoyal Challengers Bangalore vs Sunrisers Hyderabad Key battlesKohli vs WarnerThey both like getting under the skins of their opponents and have also been involved in several bustups in the past The IPL final is another big stage for the two temperamental cricketers to go oneup against each other Taking the extra responsibility of leading their sides will bring out the best in Virat Kohli and David Warner The fans will be in for a treat today considering Kohli and Warnerrsquos blistering form in the tournamentBhuvi vs WatsonThe battle for the Purple Cap highest wickettaker of the tournament is sure to go down to the wire While Sunrisers Hyderabadrsquos medium pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar has reinventedhimself to claim 23 wickets Royal Challengers Bangalore pacer Shane Watson is three wickets away from the India pacer Watsonrsquos teammate and spinner Yuzvendra Chahal 20 is also closingin on BhuvneshwarYuvraj vs GayleIn the battle of the lefthanders RCBrsquos Chris Gayle and SRHrsquos Yuvraj Singh are the most flamboyant performers Coming into the tournament after an injury layoff Yuvraj hasnrsquot looked quite convincing in the nine innings that he has played so far He has however hit form at the right time with his fluent 44 vs KKR in the Eliminator Gayle meanwhile has regained his place in the playing XI with some strong performances after being dropped initiallyABD vs MustafizurIf there is a bowler who has troubled AB de Villiers in IPL9 it has to be Mustafizur Rahman The SRH pacer has been difficult to pick for RCB batsman In their opening match Mustafizur conceded just two runs off five balls and also claimed the South Africanrsquos wicket In their return clash the Bangladeshi conceded just five runs off seven balls he bowled to De Villiers in his 32ball 47 However Mustafizurrsquos fitness remains the biggest concern