After a third straight defeat at home last week, Royal Challengers Bengaluru fast bowler Josh Hazlewood made a wish. “To win a toss would be nice,” Hazlewood said.
The spin of the coin has turned out to be a crucial factor at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium this season. The conditions are tilted heavily in favour of chasing teams. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, having lost the toss on all three occasions, will be desperate to call it right on Thursday and insert Rajasthan Royals in to bat.
RCB’s away form, meanwhile, has been top notch. In the last match, against Punjab Kings, Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal made easy work of the chase.
West Indies all-rounder Romario Shepherd, who made his maiden appearance on Sunday, is likely to keep his spot ahead of a struggling Liam Livingstone.
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RR, meanwhile, is down for the count. With four losses on the trot, the visitor’s season is already in jeopardy. The last two slips, when RR has crumbled from winning positions, has exposed mental frailties.
Cruising at 156 for two against Lucknow Super Giants, RR needed a comfortable 25 off 18 balls. RR inexplicably panicked and lost the plot, similar to the meek surrender to Delhi Capitals earlier.
The expected packed house will enjoy the chance to see RR’s teenage sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi in action. The southpaw opener, who turned heads with a bright 34 against LSG, will be tested by the wily RCB pace trio of Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal.