Legends of Sports

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan's return of 67 runs from four outings has been a cause of real concern and the crisis has been compounded by an incompatible show by the middle order. The shocking promotion of Zaheer Khan to number three against Deccan Charges and sending in Asad Pathan at the same crucial position in the CSK match ended in disaster. It would be ideal to assign the one-drop role to Virat Kohli, who loves to settle in before getting into the charge mode.

In IPL-4, Royals have won two times chasing and lost as many batting first. This might be a factor influencing the conclusion of a skipper if the toss favours him. A head-to-head record of three each in IPL suggests these two teams leave little to choose from.

Key Players: Virat Kohli, AB Devilliers, Dilshan



Rajasthan Royals:

In contrast, the captain in Warne was quick to understand the need to utilize the strength of the key players to the full as he selected Shane Watson the opening role in RR's last match. Though the Royals caved in for just 81, much of that debacle could be attributed to the inexperience in the batting department where five of the top seven batsmen were domestic faces.

Royals deeply needed the stability usually provided by Rahul Dravid, who missed the clash with a quadriceps tear. The good news for Warne is that the Karnataka batsman is set to return for the emotionally-charged contest against his former franchisee, in front of his home fans. But the toughest call for Warne will be to decide whether to retain Shaun Tait in the eleven at the expense of Johan Botha.

Key Players: Shane Watson, Botha, Ross Taylor