IPL 2022: Having sneaked into IPL play-offs, RCB pose serious threat to LSG

Virat Kohlis return to form and a rather dramatic entry into the IPL playoffs will make Royal Challengers Bangalore a more confident unit when they meet a topheavy Lucknow Super Giants in the Eliminator on WednesdayAfter a string of low scores Kohli found his rhythm enroute to a scintillating 54ball 73 in their last match against Gujarat Titans This was his only second fifty this season a visual treat for the eyes which encapsulated all the Kohliesque shots as RCB kept their hopes alive with a fine win But their fate was not in their own hands as they anxiously waited for a Mumbai Indians win in their game against Delhi Capitals to secure an entry into the playoffsKohlis return to form will be a big plus to their toporder which often has struggled to get going in the powerplay Add Dinesh Karthiks newfound finishing exploits a quality pace trio in Josh Hazlewood Wanindu Hasaranga and Harshal Patel who would look to embrace the seamfriendly Eden conditions and Faf du Plessiss calm and astute captaincy RCB will be upbeat in their quest of an elusive IPL titleHaving featured in three IPL finals RCB are one starstudded outfit which has failed to live up to its fans expectations time and again But this time under a threetime IPL winner in du Plessis RCB look more balanced especially on the pace bowling front Even as India speedster Mohammed Siraj eight wickets from 13 matches has failed to impress the trio of Hazlewood Hasaranga and Harshal with 57 wickets in between have been their backbone With fresh tracks on offer for the knockouts the trio would look to relish the challengeAnother big plus point for RCB this season has been India veteran wicketkeeperbatter Karthiks newfound form with the bat that has also ensured an India comeback ahead of the T20 World Cup Assigned the role of a finisher the 36yearold who was bought by RCB for Rs 550 crore Karthik has played a key role in their qualification to the playoffsWith 287 runs from 14 innings of which he had been unbeaten nine times Karthik has a superb strike of 19133 RCBs experience in batting certainly will weigh heavily against the young LSG pace attack of Avesh Khan and Mohsin KhanLucknow also have the experienced duo of Jason Holder and Dushmanta Chameera but they have been inconsistent this season something that can be a cause of concern for the KL Rahulled outfit A key battle for RCB would be against the Lucknow Super Giants opening duo of K L Rahul and Quinton de Kock by far the best opening pair of this IPL sitting pretty on second and third places in the top run getters listThat they have scored 1039 runs together including the highest opening partnership in IPL history of 210 against Kolkata Knight Riders sums up their dominance But this also will be the teams weakness as the Lucknow franchise lacks a quality middle and lower order barring Deepak Hooda who has four halfcenturies this seasonBut barring the trio no other batter has impressed to lend solidity in the middle and lowerorder The likes of Marcus Stoinis Krunal Pandya Ayush Badoni and Holder have failed to impress and its high time that they get into their acts in a virtual quarterfinalSquadsRoyal Challengers Bangalore Faf du Plessis c Virat Kohli Glenn Maxwell Mohammed Siraj Harshal Patel Wanindu Hasaranga Dinesh Karthik Josh Hazlewood Shahbaz Ahmed Anuj Rawat Akash Deep Mahipal Lomror Finn Allen Sherfane Rutherford Jason Behrendorff Suyash Prabhudesai Chama Milind Aneeshwar Gautam Karn Sharma David Willey Rajat Patidar and Siddharth KaulLucknow Super Giants KL Rahul c Manan Vohra Evin Lewis Manish Pandey Quinton De Kock Ravi Bishnoi Dushmantha Chameera Mohsin Khan Mayank Yadav Ankit Rajpoot Avesh Khan Andrew Tye Marcus Stoinis Kyle Mayers Karan Sharma Krishnappa Gowtham Ayush Badoni Deepak Hooda Krunal Pandya and Jason HolderThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever