#Bengaluru/#Pune: Rising Pune Supergiants captain M.S Dhoni with coach Stephen Fleming during a practice session on Thursday.
After two consecutive defeats for both teams, RPS and RCB will clash in an all-important encounter in Pune. This will be first home match for Rising Pune Supergiants this season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Having started their campaign on a winning note with a score of 227 against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Royal Challengers were done in by some Quinton de Kock brilliance against Delhi Daredevils. In three matches, Royal Challengers have won only one. They lost their matches against Delhi Daredevils and Mumbai Indians.
The top batting order of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli and Sarfaraz Khan did a tremendous job in all three matches. Kohli dropping Chris Gayle and bringing in Indian talent K.L. Rahul against Mumbai Indians was a good move. Rahul did reasonably well in that match.
Chris Gayle’s indifferent form still bothers RCB. One big innings from this big man from West Indies can change the course of RCB this season.
Kohli has a lot to ponder on the team combination against the Rising Pune Supergiants.
Kane Richardson, replacing David Weise, did not do justice to his selection. His one for 26 in three overs against Mumbai Indians is not up to mark. Kohli may bring in Gayle to the top of the order against Pune. But with Rahul in, Kohli has to drop one Indian talent in the middle order. Trevor Head brought in place of Gayle did reasonably well. If Kohli persists with Rahul, Kohli at No.3 will be a viable option. Kohli has done extremely well at No.3 spot for Indian team in ODIs and T20s.
The bowling led by Shane Watson, Varun Aaron, HV Patel, Binny, and Chahal have done reasonably well except in the match against Mumbai Indians. The bowlers were done by the brilliance of Rohit Sharma and Keiron Pollard. If fit, Samuel Badree in place of Kane Richardson, will let Kohli breath easy.
My playing XI for RCB will be
Chris Gayle, KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers, Shane Watson, Sarfaraz Khan, Parvez Rasool, Samuel Badree or Kane Richardson, Varun Aaron, Iqbal Abdullah and Stuart Binny.
Rising Pune Supergiants
Led by M.S. Dhoni, Rising Pune Supergiants is yet to find its winning combination in this season.
The debutants started their campaign on a strong note by defeating defending champions Mumbai Indians. They lost the next two matches against Gujarat Lions and Kings XI Punjab.
Their batting looks solid with Faf du Plessis and Ajinkya Rahane. Except for the match against Mumbai, Rahane has had good starts. He has to keep a grip on the innings till the end as others can play around him. du Plessis is in sublime form as he has scored two consecutive half-centuries in this tournament. Kevin Pietersen also had good starts in this tournament but is still to make a big score. If these three click, then Rising Pune Supergiants’ middle-order can breathe a sigh of relief.
According to the situation, M.S. Dhoni at No.4 will be the best option. The promotion of Thisara Perera against Kings XI Punjab backfired for Dhoni.
The middle-order has some extraordinary players like Steve Smith and Dhoni. So the batting line-up is very strong. However, the team is yet to gel enough to start winning matches.
Dhoni should bring in Albie Morkel in place of Perera. Morkel can be a reliable batsman and bowl better than Perera. Ishant Sharma, though he has shown his brilliance, is a bit wayward. He has to lead the attack and take early wickets. Dhoni should also bring in Rajat Bhatia in place of Ankit Sharma. Bhatia with his slower ones and wicket-to-wicket bowling seems to be a better option.
Both the Ashwins, M. Ashwin and R. Ashwin, have done reasonably well in all three matches.
My Rising Pune Supergiants playing XI
Faf du Plessis, Ajinkya Rahane, Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith, M.S. Dhoni (captain), Albie Morkel, Irfan Pathan, R. Ashwin, M.Ashwin, Ishant Sharma and Rajat Bhatia. By Agencies.
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