Mumbai up for Royal Challenge

For the second time in five days, the Royal Challengers Bangalore come up against familiar foes in table toppers, the Mumbai Indians. The last time the two teams met there was more than just cricket on their minds as the shocking blasts at the Chinnaswamy Stadium took the sheen away from the game.
Credit to the teams that they turned out like professionals and played the game under extreme pressure in a match that didn’t have any bearing on their progress. Of course, the bombings did have a victim in the fact that Bengaluru lost out on hosting the semis with Mumbai being hastily put up for the show. But then Mumbai are always geared up for it.
The Sachin Tendulkar-led team had already ensured themselves a place in the semis and though the Challengers lost that game, they didn’t lose the plot, making the last four on the strength of their previous performances.
As such when they clash on Wednesday, in the first semifinal of the IPL at the super-dapper D.Y. Patil Stadium, there will be much more than a grudge at stake.
For the Challengers, who have had a 50-50 record in the league with seven wins from 14 games, it will be a huge task against the explosive Indians. Not only do they have to play out of their skins to get past the local outfit but they also have the important matter of getting out of the rut.
Having lost four out of their last six games, Anil Kumble has a huge responsibility of lifting the team for their biggest match of this season; the Challengers have swung between the brilliant and the ordinary and the fact that they squeezed into the semis, edging out the Delhi Daredevils, on a better run rate than on the power of their wins should itself be a wake-up call.
Against the Indians it will be suicidal to even think of getting on the field without being fully prepared. Of course, the Mumbai Indians lost their last inconsequential match to the Kolkata Knight Riders but it was mainly because they rested five of their top stars and allowed their bench strength to get a feel of the league.
On paper, the sides are fairly evenly matched with explosive batsmen in both the line-ups, but where the Indians outscore the Challengers is in their ability to push themselves to greater heights.
Tendulkar has been the unstoppable force for the home team, powering away to the top of the run charts and he has been ably supported by a middle order which has the likes of Ambati Rayudu, Saurabh Tiwary and J.P. Duminy to go with the intimidating presence of the giant West Indian, Kieron Pollard.
The power of their batsmen has given their bowlers, Zaheer Khan, Lasith Malinga and Harbhajan Singh the liberty to go full tilt at the opposition and rivals have wilted under the sustained onslaught.
For Kumble, the problem lies with his batsmen; Manish Pandey has been completely out of sorts this season while the big-hitting Ross Taylor, despite six games, hasn’t been able to get on. Also the tendency of Jacques Kallis to slow things down after the Power Play has hurt the Bangalore outfit and there could be a little rejig in the batting order. The biggest issue will be on deciding on Rahul Dravid or Kevin Pietersen at the No. 3 slot but then again, it will depend on the start by the openers.
The Challengers’ bowling looks healthy with Dale Steyn, Praveen Kumar and Vinay Kumar being supported by the increasingly promising Pankaj Singh and with Kumble himself itching to bowl, the Indians will be wary of their familiar foes.