The last time Royal Challengers Bangalore and Mumbai Indians clashed in an Indian Premier League match at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the air was fraught with tension. And cricket had nothing to do with frayed nerves on that Saturday night.
A low intensity explosion outside the venue on April 17, 2010, almost derailed the then match before normalcy was restored and Mumbai Indians won by 57 runs. Since then, the historic venue has changed for the better and security measures have been tightened.
The teams will now face-off for the first time in IPL-IV here on Tuesday night and they come in after swatting aside their respective first round opponents. A.B. de Villiers (54 n.o.) guided Royal Challengers past Kochi Tuskers Kerala while Lasith Malinga's (five for 13) toe-crushers helped Mumbai Indians ambush Delhi Daredevils.
Evolving as a unit
The Royal Challengers team is an evolving unit as regulars like Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Ross Taylor and R. Vinay Kumar were snapped up by rival teams while Virat Kohli remains the lone ‘old face' after he was retained ahead of the player-auction.
Senior statesman Anil Kumble will also be missed while he guides the team as its ‘chief mentor'.
Coach Ray Jennings does believe that Royal Challengers with its new-look squad led by Daniel Vettori, will yield the desired results.
Positive beginning
A positive beginning was made in Kochi with Zaheer Khan and Daniel Vettori providing a shock-and-choke edge to the bowling attack while de Villiers anchored and accelerated the chase. The others have to chip in and gain the faith of the local fans, who have to embrace a squad that is low on local flavour.
If change is the buzz-word within the Royal Challengers' ranks, Mumbai Indians does have a sense of continuity with skipper Sachin Tendulkar, Harbhajan Singh and Lasith Malinga being part of the core-group. The team hit cruise-mode at Delhi with Malinga's wickets providing the perfect cushion for Tendulkar to leave his imprint with an unbeaten 46 but a similar script may be difficult against the host.
Interesting duels
Malinga's duel with Tillakaratne Dilshan will be an interesting segment while Zaheer's spell against Tendulkar should add spice to the tussle.
In February, Tendulkar was squaring up against Zaheer during the Indian team's camp ahead of its victorious World Cup campaign but Tuesday will have a different edge.
The venue witnessed humdingers during the World Cup with England holding India to a tie and Ireland upsetting its fancied neighbour. A close tussle should keep the spectators happy and as usual, their biggest roar will be reserved for Tendulkar.
