Deccan Chargers run into Royal Challengers Bangalore

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On many counts, the Deccan Chargers have been mighty unlucky in the IPL-5. On many occasions, the former champions have shown that they have what it takes to go all the way, but have somehow not been able to ‘finish it off’ when it has mattered most.

Kumar Sangakkara’s men are languishing at the bottom of the table, with just two wins in their kitty. But in reality, they have deserved to win more.

On as many as three occasions they have been victims of last over disappointment, which has played a large role in their morale being battered.

Having said that, all is not lost for the Chargers as they still have an ‘outside’ chance of make it to the playoffs, but for that they are face with an extremely difficult proposition of having to win all their six remaining matches.

Easier said than done, but strange things have happened in cricket before and the Chargers would be hoping that it begins against the Royal Challengers Bangalore at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium.

The Bulls run into the hosts in the second of Sunday’s double header and it should be nothing short of a cracker, considering RCB are also looking to get back to winning ways.

Cameron White’s return to form will please the Chargers most.

The right-hander, who had been woefully out of the form – which even cost him a place in the Australian side – has hit the right strides after struggling initially.

While Shikhar Dhawan and Sangakkara have fired in bits, White has had to take the burden of shepherding the batting unit.

The Chargers will once again be without J.P. Duminy, with the left-hander still recovering from a finger injury, which means all-rounder Daniel Christian should keep his place.

For RCB, only Chris Gayle has been firing on all cylinders and they have been guilty of relying on the Jamaican marauder too much.

While Virat Kohli showed glimpses of returning to form in the last match, the Indian talent have to start contributing.

Saurabh Tiwary and Vinay Kumar have struggled to get going. Skipper Daniel Vettori too has been ordinary and it would not a bad move to ‘drop himself’ and bring in veteran off-spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, who has been exceptional in the four matches that he has played.

Key player : Royal Challengers Bangalore Virat Kohli

The poster boy of the team has inexplicably struggled to fire so far. Though he showed glimpses of form against the Kings XI, the right-hander’s contribution will hold key to RCB’s hopes of advancing to the playoffs.

Key player : Deccan Chargers Dale Steyn

The South African’s speedster’s duel with the dangerous Chris Gayle is bound to be a mouth-watering one. Steyn can hit the 150km barrier regularly and can move the ball both ways. It will be interesting to see how Gayle and Co. will cope with the red-hot Steyn.