Royal challengers Bangalore would be looking to record their first away win of this season as they going to play Pune Warriors India. Both Virat Kohli and Aaron Finch have not done well as a captain in recent matches and would be looking to do so in this encounter. It was Chris Gayle and AB De Villiers who tore apart the bowling of Pune Warriors India when they faced each other in Bangalore. Bhuvneshwar Kumar is the silver lining for Pune Warriors in this contest whose four overs can make ample amount of difference in the outcome of this match.
Here we bring before you the players to watch out for in the match between Pune Warriors India (PWI) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
Chris Gayle: Gayle has been winning the matches for RCB single-handedly and to break the jinx of losing away matches, he needs to come hard against Pune Warriors. He smashed 34 runs off 16 balls in last match against Rajasthan Royals and has been the orange cap holder in this IPL so far.
Virat Kohli: Kohli has been in brilliant touch and would be looking to get his first away win when his plays against Pune Warriors. His presence on the field has been quite inspiring but he just needs to show some more spark in his captaincy especially with bowling changes.
AB De Villiers: De Villiers has played some nice little cameos but it’s now high time to deliver a spectacular performance with the bat. He has got enough opportunity to bat for longer period but somehow he has not made a good use of it.
Jaydev Unadkat: Unadkat had fluctuating fortunes in last couple of matches. He needs to be used in mid-overs rather than in death because he does not have those Yorkers and slow bouncers in his repertoire which are very much needed in death overs in last match against Rajasthan Royals.
Saurabh Tiwary: Tiwary needs to show more flair in his batting with some aggressive shots. It’s very much understandable that scoring shots from the first ball is not an easy task but he has been included for that only. His fielding efforts are not so good. He is expected to put a spectacular on the field to make his presence feel.
Pune Warriors India (PWI)
Yuvraj Singh: He was looking in a hurry in the last match which got him out after scoring five runs. He has been decent on the field, but needs to be bit more agile especially to get those run-outs. He can be a great asset for his captain if used as bowler on consistent basis.
Steve Smith: Smith showed brilliant temperament as he scored hard fought 35 runs. He has been the lone warrior for Pune and has always done spectacular work not just with the bat but with his fielding too. Smith should be sent up the order as there is no point in holding him back when he is the in-form batsman.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Bhuvaneshwar did some fine job in the last match with the bat as well as with the ball. He scored a quick fire 24 runs and gave away just 24 runs in his four overs. His ability to get initial breakthroughs can play a crucial role in bringing end to streaks of defeats of Pune Warriors.
Abhishek Nayar: His inconsistent form has created lot of problems for him as well as his team. But it is time now to break the shackles and deliver. He should try to be a bit more decisive in his shot selection and he will look a completely different batsman.
Aaron Finch: Finch has not done much good either with the bat or with the captaincy in last couple of matches. Though he has been getting those 30 plus scores every now and then, he should try to bat till the last ball so that whole innings can be played around him which will help his side in posing a big total.
By Amit Chopra
Indian Sports News Network
