New Delhi: Royal Challengers Bangalore has scripted a remarkable turnaround in the dying embers of this year’s IPL. Languishing at the bottom of the table after the first half of the IPL season, it has been a ‘rags to riches’ story for the Bengaluru franchise. However, the departure of their prominent middle-order batsman Will Jacks (England) can dent RCB’s chances for a playoff spot in their forthcoming match which is lined against CSK. To add to the worries, Reece Topley is also scheduled to depart with Jacks owing to commitment to the national side.
Both Jacks and Topley are scheduled to play a warm-up series against Pakistan on home soil ahead of the T20 World Cup scheduled to take place in June. In the absence of Jacks, the onus will be on the likes of Virat Kohli, Cameroon Green and the dynamic 360° batsman Glenn Maxwell.
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— Sohaib Rasheed (@voiceofprotests) May 14, 2024
Probable XI for RCB against CSK: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal.
Impact Players: Vyshak Vijaykumar, Swapnil Singh, Himanshu Sharma, Suyash Prabhudessai, Anuj Rawat
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Must-win game against CSK
When it comes to the question of qualification, RCB must answer some tough questions as they take the field against CSK. Both teams will play a virtual eliminator which can swing in either direction. CSK has an upper edge going into this fixture due to a superior NRR of +0.528 as compared to +0.387.
CSK is currently in the third spot after seven wins from 13 matches. A win against Bengaluru will see their side through to the playoffs. Naturally, Dhoni and Co. are breathing a sigh of relief as long as they make sure of the win on May 18.
On the other hand, for Bangalore, Kohli and Co. need to beat Dhoni’s side by 18 runs or more. While the calculation for the chase boils down to 11 balls to spare. RCB has its job cut out ahead of the marquee clash against CSK.
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Impact of Will Jacks in turning the tide for RCB
The absence of Will Jacks has posed many important questions for head coach Andy Flower. While Topley’s miss in the game will not see much cutting and chopping in the Playing XI given that he was absent from RCB’s XI. However, the blistering English batter who was in red-hot form can make the middle order wobbly.
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In the 8 matches that Jacks has featured for RCB, the blistering English batsman has hammered 230 runs at an average of 32.86 at a whopping strike rate of 175.57. This also includes an amazing ton against GT [100(41)]. On the other hand, Faf has repeatedly used Jacks to churn out some quality overs of spin. The most likely replacement for Will is Glenn Maxwell. But, to bring in variety, RCB can also look at other options like that of Mayank Dagar and Alzarri Joseph.