Match:GL vs RCB, Qualifier 1, Indian Premier League, 2016
Date:Tuesday, May 24, 2016
Time:02:30 PM GMT, 19:30 (07:30 pm) IST
Venue:M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
Stadium:M.Chinnaswamy Stadium
City:Bengaluru
Capacity:40,000
Ends:Pavilion End, BEML End
Hosts to:Karnataka
Powered by an in-form Virat Kohli's inspirational leadership, Royal Challengers Bangalore would look to inch closer to a maiden IPL title triumph when they take on table-toppers Gujarat Lions in the Qualifier I in Bengaluru on Tuesday.
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RCB were in a real spot of bother as they needed to win their last four games to make it to the play-offs. The Bangalore outfit showed great fighting spirit, with Kohli leading from the front, to record four consecutive wins to finish the league engagements at the second spot.
RCB finished the preliminary round with 16 points from 14 games, just behind leaders Gujarat Lions, who garnered 18 from 14 matches.
RCB seem to have struck form at just the right time and after a not-so-impressive start to the season, the Kohli-led side has dished out four clinical performances to beat the Lions (by 144 runs), Kolkata Knight Riders (by 9 wickets), Kings XI Punjab (by 82 runs D/L method) and Delhi Daredevils (by 6 wickets) to seal their top-four place.
Gujarat defeated RCB by six wickets in their opening meeting this season before suffering the 144-run loss in the next tie. And the Suresh Raina-led side will be eyeing sweet revenge for the embarrassing defeat to head straight into the final of their maiden IPL appearance.
In contrast to RCB, Gujarat made a rampaging start to the season before facing a late slump. In Aaron Finch (339 runs from 11 games), Brendon McCullum (321 from 14), Dwayne Smith (250 from 10), Raina (397 from 13), Dinesh Karthik (283) and Darren Bravo, Gujarat too have a formidable batting line-up.
In the bowling department, Gujarat have depended on the pace duo of Bravo and Dhawal Kulkarni. While Bravo has 15 wickets against his name, Kulkarni has managed 14 scalps so far. The spin duo of Ravindra Jadeja and Pravin Tambe, who did not have the best of IPL so far, too would like to come to the party.
Even though the losing side tomorrow will have another chance to make it to the final by locking horns against the winner of the Eliminator between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, both RCB and Gujarat will be hoping for a direct berth in Sunday's final.
Gujarat Lions Squad:
Dwayne Bravo, Paras Dogra, Eklavya Dwivedi, James Faulkner, Aaron Finch, Ishan Kishan, Ravindra Jadeja, Shadab Jakati, Dinesh Karthik, Shival Kaushik, Dhawal Kulkarni, Praveen Kumar, Sarabjit Ladda, Brendon McCullum, Amit Mishra, Akshdeep Nath, Suresh Raina, Pradeep Sangwan, Jaydev Shah, Umang Sharma, Dwayne Smith, Dale Steyn, Pravin Tambe, Andrew Tye
Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad:
Varun Aaron, Iqbal Abdulla, Sreenath Aravind, Samuel Badree, Stuart Binny, Yuzvendra Chahal, AB de Villiers, Praveen Dubey, Chris Gayle, Travis Head, Kedar Jadhav, Akshay Karnewar, Sarfaraz Khan, Virat Kohli, Vikramjeet Malik, Mandeep Singh, Adam Milne, Abu Nechim, Parvez Rasool, Harshal Patel, Lokesh Rahul, Kane Richardson, Sachin Baby, Mitchell Starc, Vikas Tokas, Shane Watson, David Wiese, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chris Jordan
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