Form, while temporary, can be frightening too, especially for Deccan Chargers (DC). Performance in its last two outings has been no better than that of the proverbial bull in a china shop —listless if not clueless. Only that it's been more self-destructive.
Neither Rajasthan Royals nor Kolkata Knight Riders really needed to wave the red rag to drive this team to its downfall. So devoid was the Hyderabad outfit of resolve, doing little to avoid hurtling headlong to defeat.
If the recent past is a pointer, it would only be safe to predict a Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) victory, when the teams take on each other at the Rajiv Gandhi international stadium on Thursday.
Tuesday night's defeat to Mumbai Indians, perhaps the finest side in the fray, is unlikely to deter the Challengers.
Good start
RCB's opening outing against Kochi Tuskers Kerala should still be fresh in memory, if not a morale booster even now, considering the emphatic fashion in which that game was won.
It will derive strength from the consistency of A.B. de Villiers, Tillakaratne Dilshan's tenacity and Daniel Vettori's cerebral captaincy. Also waiting to explode should be Virat Kohli, if not Saurabh Tiwary.
In contrast, playing on home turf is seen more as a bane than a boon for the Chargers.
With the will to win lacking, its batsmen, but for one or two, have shown little inclination to build an innings or come up with a matching contribution to the toil of its bowlers.
The similarities to the IPL's opening season are striking, if not scary for the home side.
The early zeal displayed dissipates soon enough, the recklessness with which the initiative is conceded continuing to haunt the local outfit. Pessimism appears all pervasive.
Two games lost tamely have been enough to test the tolerance levels of its followers.
Need to improve
Unless the Chargers shore up their act, enthusiasm is bound to wane and attendance at home, dwindle.
If its average fan on the street doubles up as doomsdayer, the Chargers seem headed, more than anything else, for their second wooden spoon.
