RCB vs Pune in basement battle

It’s been a tough journey for the two Indian captains so far in the ninth edition of the Indian Premier League. While Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s debutantes Rising Pune Supergiants have been badly effected by injuries and inconsistency, Virat Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bangalore have struggled to live up to their favourites tag. RCB failed to find the balance between bowling and batting.

With the season almost at the halfway mark, the encounter between the two sides at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Saturday could prove to be the spark that kickstarts their campaign.

The home side are currently second last in the table with five defeats in seven matches while the visitors sit one spot ahead on sixth with six points, two more than RCB, following six defeats in nine outings.

RCB, stacked to the roof with big hitters and match winners, have consistently managed to pose imposing totals.

The addition of medium pacer Chris Jordan to their line-up may well be the shot in the arm for the home side who have badly missed the services of Mitchell Starc. The Englishman’s ability to bowl stingy overs at the death will be key a factor for the side going forward.

While the visitors will miss the services of Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith, Mitchell Marsh and Faf du Plessis due to injuries, the arrival of Usman Khwaja and George Bailey will add steel to the top and middle order respectively. Ajinkya Rahane has been in fine form and with Dhoni down the order, the Pune side are quite stacked with attacking talent.