Bangalore vs Rajasthan: royalty at stake

Bangalore: Beaten and bruised Rajasthan face a stern test as they take on Bangalore at the Chinnaswamy Stadium here on Thursday, knowing full well that a loss will see them not only at the bottom of the table but also in a hole that they may not be able to dig themselves out of, at least in this season.

Rajasthan have a tough road ahead especially as they will miss Graeme Smith and Dmitri Mascarenhas, both of whom were ruled out of the rest of the tournament on Tuesday because of injuries. The Shane Warne-led side is looking more like a team of has-been's and have no option but to include inexperienced youngsters against a team full of stalwarts in their next game. Some may say it was these youngsters who ruled the roost in the first season, but it wasn't so. They played their part but there were critical contributions that came from Shane Watson, Sohail Tanvir and Kamran Akmal.

If the deck used in the game between Bangalore and Punjab is an indication, runs will be scored in plenty at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. Yusuf Pathan will have to play another out-of-the-skin knock and it is around him that the Rajasthan players will have to pivot.

Naman Ojha, Paras Dogra, Swapnil Asnodkar and Abhishek Jhunjhunwala have to come good with the bat if they are to post a solid total. And if they chase, one of them will have to pace his knock to perfection. They do not have a Jacques Kallis or a Rahul Dravid in their ranks who can keep one side tied up and are always in danger of losing their way in case Yusuf Pathan cannot come good.

The hosts, on the other hand, are coming into the game on the back of a big win against Punjab, where their top order fired in unision. Kallis, who has the orange cap as the leading run-scorer in the tourney so far, is looking in sublime form. Manish Pandey has started to play where he left off in the domestic games and Robin Uthappa is at his explosive best at the one down position. Virat Kohli may not have had much of a knock in the middle, but he has just the right temperament to get it going. And With Rahul Dravid and Mark Boucher, the Bangalore boys boast of very deep batting lineup.

On paper and on current form, there is no denying the fact that Bangalore have the upper hand in this game. But cricket, as they say, is a game of glorious uncertainties. All we can say is may the best Royal win.