Rajasthan face a 'Royal' Gayle test in match against Bengaluru
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Their play-off hopes dented by two consecutive defeats, Rajasthan Royals need to do something special to tame a rampaging Chris Gayle as they prepare to clash with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their next IPL match here on Wednesday.
Both the teams have consistently been in the reckoning for the play-offs but the scale of task is now enormous for Rajasthan, which lost to Chennai Super Kings last night.
Bengaluru on the hand are on a roll, having registered five wins on the trot with Caribbean batsman Gayle playing a significant role in their success.
Gayle destroys the rival bowling attack with utter disdain and leaves the opponents in disbelief with his power-hitting.
Rajasthan are already struggling and sorting out Gayle is the biggest challenge they face on Wednesday.
But their bowlers conceded close to 200 runs on Monday against Chennai on the new pitch and the contempt with which Gayle is treating the bowlers this season, the host bowlers are in for another litmus test.
Skipper Shane Warne, who has earned plaudits for his on-field acumen, needs to take it on himself to stop Gayle from blowing them away because if the West Indies marauder manages to stay at the crease for about 10 overs, the contest could be reduced to a lop-sided affair.
Gayle tilted the last match against Kochi Tuskers Kerala in the favour of his side by smashing 37 runs in just one over and the predator would be looking to hunt badly bruised Ashok Menaria, Amit Singh and Siddharth Trivedi, who all bled runs against Chennai.
Not only Gayle but the other Bengaluru batsmen such as Virat Kohli, AB de Villiers and Saurabh Tiwary are in good touch and are capable match-winners on their own.
It will be interesting to see who replaces Tillakaratane Dilshan, who has left IPL to be with the Sri Lankan national team, in the opening slot.
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