IPL 2024: Royal Challengers Bengaluru eye second win against Gujarat Titans

RCB wicketkeeper-batsman Dinesh Karthik during a training session in Bangalore yesterday. Pic/Royal Challengers Bengaluru

In the three weeks since their last home game, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, some things have changed for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, while others haven't. They are still at the bottom of the table, but Virat Kohli is no longer the owner of the Orange Cap. Most importantly, they have snapped a six-match losing streak with two wins on the trot, away from home against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Gujarat Titans.

That match last year

Their qualification hopes hanging by the slenderest of threads, Faf du Plessis's rejuvenated outfit will run into Gujarat for the second time in a week on Saturday night, hoping to make it three in a row and give their beleaguered home fans something to cheer about - after all, RCB have lost three of their four outings at this venue. It was Gujarat who put paid to RCB's outside chance of making it to the playoffs last season, riding on a century from Shubman Gill to trump Kohli's three-figure knock in the final league fixture of the competition, so there is added incentive for the hosts to extend their winning run.

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After a torrid first phase, when RCB's batting was primarily only about Kohli at the top of the order and Dinesh Karthik lower down, various other pieces of the batting jigsaw puzzle have started to fall in place. Du Plessis has weighed in from time to time, while Rajat Patidar is in the middle of a purple patch. Most tellingly, Will Jacks seems to have found his feet in the IPL, his blazing century and his sensational assault on Mohit Sharma and Rashid Khan in Ahmedabad last Sunday on his way to his maiden IPL century helping RCB make light work of a 200-plus target.

The RCB faithfuls might lament the timing of the return to form of several players, but they will still hope the thunderstorms of Friday that took the edge off the sweltering heat of the past many weeks, stay away so that they can partake of the entertainment.

Struggling Gujarat

Gujarat, finalists last year, are also in the wars this time around, with just four wins from 10 outings. They need a late charge to put themselves in contention for a playoffs berth; Gill, in his first season as captain, has been like the proverbial Curate's Egg, good in parts, and while his No. 3, Sai Sudharsan, has topped 400 runs, he hasn't made them at a frenetic rate (135.71).

As much as the batting, it's the bowling that has let Gujarat down. Mohit's 10 wickets have come at a heavy cost - he has gone at 10.96 runs per over - while Rashid has taken 28.50 deliveries per wicket; Gujarat are clearly feeling the absence of the injured Mohammed Shami and like RCB, they are also fast running out of time. Saturday will be as good a time as any for them to rediscover their mojo.