Performance in a season opener is no clear indication of things to come, but it is best to set early flaws right.
Royal Challengers Bangalore had to rely on Chris Gayle’s 56-ball 96 to overcome a sloppy effort on the field in its three-wicket win over defending champion Kolkata Knights Riders on Friday.
After putting KKR in, the RCB fielders struggled to hold their own; even a normally safe A.B. de Villers put down a catch. It was only an equally generous KKR — Morne Morkel dropped Gayle twice — which brought RCB back into contention.
Sunrisers Hyderabad was not as lucky, going down to Chennai Super Kings in its opening fixture. SRH was let down by its bowling unit, no doubt under pressure from a marauding Brendon McCullum.
Pacer Ishant Sharma, expected to keep the CSK mid-innings in check, went for over 15 runs per over. Off-spinner Parvez Rasool bowled just one over; his presence in the playing XI was not best utilised.
A galaxy of foreign stars forced premier fast bowler Dale Steyn to sit out; his thunderbolts were sorely missed. Coach Tom Moody had said this selection dilemma presents the team management with a welcome headache, but there is no simple over-the-counter pill available to ease the pain.
Even in the best of scenarios, RCB’s top-heavy batting — with the likes of Gayle, Virat Kohli and de Villiers — is bound to worry the rivals. Kohli and de Villiers did not fire at full throttle against KKR, but the duo is capable of turning it on in an instant. Captain David Warner and Shikhar Dhawan represent SRH’s best chance of making a big total, while K.L Rahul, Naman Ojha and Ravi Bopara can provide reliable support.
The batting position of Kane Williamson, four-drop at Chennai, may well need reassessing. If the early matches are anything to go by, the ploy to employ the big guns at the very start seems most likely to succeed.
