Despite Virat Kohli's swashbuckling batting at the top of the order, his Royal Challengers Bangalore continue to struggle this season. RCB have lost their last three games and find themselves second last in the points table. Another loss against Mumbai Indians tonight could effectively end their tournament.
Kohli has been a lone warrior with the bat for RCB, piling on over 300 runs already. However, none of his teammates have managed to build an impactful partnership with him or taken the pressure off with impactful cameos lower down. RCB's batting efforts have fallen apart completely in the absence of Kohli.
Their bowling has also disappointed. Despite having quality international stars, the RCB bowlers have failed to defend even above-par totals. Only left-arm pacer Yash Dayal has looked threatening with the ball. The others have been taken to the cleaners.
RCB desperately need a win tonight to stay alive in the tournament. But Mumbai Indians will be a tough nut to crack. While MI also have only one win so far, they showed against Delhi they possess big-hitters who can turn a match on its head. RCB will have to fire in all departments to overcome MI's fighting spirit at their favorite Wankhede stadium tonight.
A thrilling, high-scoring encounter is on the cards. But RCB will know their tournament is at serious risk if they falter again in this virtual elimination clash. The spotlight will be on Kohli yet again to power RCB to a win single-handedly or else they might have played their last IPL game of the season tonight.
