AHMEDABAD: Flying high after a rich dose of luck and a breathtaking knock by Rajat Patidar took them past the Eliminator, Royal Challengers Bangalore will fancy their chances against Rajasthan Royals here on Friday night.
Will this be the year when the RCB and Virat Kohli's seemingly endless wait for a maiden IPL trophy finally ends? While this million-dollar question's answer is still a game or two away, a lot has gone in the Bangalore franchise's favour for their fans not to expect that, at the end of this weekend, they would be singing 'Ee sala cup namde (the cup is ours)'!
Despite having won their last game, RCB were left hoping that the Delhi Capitals would lose to Mumbai Indians. Thanks to a blitzkrieg by MI's Tim David, that did happen, and Faf du Plessis and Co. set up a date with Lucknow Super Giants in Bangalore.
With Patidar smashing their maiden hundred in the Eliminator at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, RCB raced away to 207/4, before knocking out LSG by restricting them to 193/6 in a thriller. For someone who went unsold in the IPL auction and came into the RCB squad as a replacement player, Patidar, and not du Plessis or Kohli, will now be the man to watch out for in this 'virtual semifinal'.
The winner will earn the right to play Gujarat Titans in the final on May 29.
Big games, though, must see big players rise to the occasion, and RCB will hope Kohli and Du Plessis come to the party too. Glenn Maxwell also needs to step up. However, the RCB attack better watch out if Jos Buttler gets going. With 718 runs in 15 games@51. 28, Buttler is guaranteed to take the 'Orange Cap' back home to England.
Rajasthan Royals will hope Trent Boult can ruin RCB's top order with a typically devastating new-ball spell. They would also want that their spinners Chahal and Ashwin to make their presence felt.
Both teams have won one game each against each other this season. Who will have the last laugh?
