Little room for error as RCB take on RR in power-hitting slugfest at the Motera

Just 48 hours after the end of a gruelling group stage Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bengaluru will come face to face in Qualifier 2 on Wednesday to resume the latest chapter of an engrossing rivalryA bit of fatigue may be inevitable at this point considering both teams played their final league games last weekend and have had hectic travel days on Tuesday to make it to Ahmedabad Neither team should have any trouble though motivating themselves given what remains at stake a ticket to the IPL 17 finalRajasthan erstwhile contenders for a top berth in the group stage have found themselves grappling with a downward spiral following four consecutive defeats and a washout in their recent encounter against tabletoppers Kolkata Consequently Sanju Samsons side concluded the league phase in the third spot trailing Sunrisers HyderabadIn contrast however Bengaluru has staged a remarkable resurgence from the brink of elimination Commencing their campaign with seven losses in eight games the battingheavy squad embarked on an extraordinary winning streak culminating in the eviction of defending champions Chennai Super Kings to secure a spot in the IPL playoffsWhile Rajasthan endured a slump with a string of losses and a weatheraffected fixture Bengaluru seems to be hitting the right notes when it matters having notched up backtoback wins heading into the playoffs Naturally Faf du Plessis was a happy man How fun was that so proud of everyone the way they have made the impossible happen Special night Special group Look forward to the next onerdquo the 39yearold South African wrote on Instagram In slight contrast the Royals though proven matchwinners have suffered a slide in form in the second half of the tournamentAlso Read Fare thee well Sunil ChhetriThe Sanju Samsonled side has transitioned from being frontrunners to underdogs in just a matter of weeks Despite glimpses of invincibility when in rhythm their recent performances have laid bare vulnerabilities in both batting and bowling departments The absence of Jos Buttler has considerably diminished their batting firepower placing substantial reliance on the likes of opener Yashasvi Jaiswal 348 runs skipper Samson 504 runs and Riyan Parag 531 runs to reverse the tide on WednesdayUnder such circumstances the bigger responsibility could once again fall on Samson and Parag to click with the willow while Tom KohlerCadmore of England is anticipated to partner with Jaiswal forming a potentially fragile opening combination Shimron Hetmyerrsquos inclusion bolsters their lower order which has been relatively subdued in contribution with the bat this seasonRajasthans bowling unit could prove instrumental particularly considering the venue for the Eliminator which has not been conducive to batting exploits that much Notably the Motera stadium has witnessed the 200run mark being breached merely twice in 12 innings this season bringing to onersquos notice the importance of disciplined bowling and a sturdy batting lineup in securing victoriesWith a staggering tally of 708 runs from 14 matches Virat Kohli from Bengaluru could be a potential gamechanger in Ahmedabad The side also has exceptional bench strength with the likes of Du Plessis Dinesh Karthik Alzarri Joseph Yash Dayal and Rajat Patidar all coming in at different times and contributingThe departure of the talented Will Jacks has not significantly dented Bengalurus campaign with veteran Karthik adding impetus to the lower middleorder with a striking rate even exceeding 195Another budding seamer Dayal impressed one and all after he struck back and removed the dangerous MS Dhoni to put RCB a step away from the final spot in the playoffs on Sunday Relying on the slower backofthehand deliveries he conceded just one run in the next four balls to seal a 27run win for RCB This turnaround epitomises the youngsterrsquos transition from a bowler beleaguered by conceding five consecutive sixes in an over last year to a reliable asset this seasonPermutations and combinations will have to wait as the two sides look to go allout for victory in a bid to reappear this Sunday