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Stung by Cobras, RCB and Otago to fight for survival
Royal Challengers Bangalore and New Zealand's Otago Volts would be desperate to put their campaigns back on track when they meet on Monday.
- Press Trust of India
- Updated: October 11, 2009 04:17 PM IST
Read Time: 2 min
Bangalore:
Anil Kumble's Royal Challengers and Craig Cumming's Otago Volts were both stung by South African side Cape Cobras in their respective opening matches, leaving them with no other option but to raise their game if they are to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the league stage of the tournament.
The Royal Challengers lost to Cobras despite a good batting performance and it was a mixture of poor bowling and JP Duminy's batting pyrotechnics that did them in.
Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor have shown that they are in good nick and any batting order that includes the likes of Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher is bound to keep their opponents sleepless nights.
But for the Bangalore side, bowling remains their biggest chink in the armoury and their inability to defend a 180-run target against the Cobras expose the frailties of their leather-flingers.
Praveen Kumar has been among the wickets but could not stem the run flow while Vinay Kumar, Roelf van der Merwe and even Kumble looked clueless against Duminy.
The IPL runners-up might still prevail over their Kiwi opponents on Monday since Otago's was a worse performance against the Cobras.
The side Craig Cumming allowed the Cobras to post 193 and chasing the target, folded for 139 in 17-odd overs.
Their bowling looked pretty ordinary and Cumming was clueless when Andrew Puttick went after the bowlers during his unbeaten 62-ball hurricane knock of 104.
Despite having Kiwi internationals like the McCullum brothers -- Brendon and Nathan -- Aaron Redmond and Neil Broom besides English all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, there is a certain brittle look about the top order and they would have to raise their games by a few notches on Monday to get back to winning ways.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Rajesh Bishnoi, Mark Boucher, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Manish Pandey, Dale Steyn, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Roelof van der Merwe, Vinay Kumar.
Otago Volts: Craig Cumming (Captain), Nick Beard, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Derek de Boorder, Matt Harvie, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, Warren McSkimming, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Greg Todd, Neil Wagner.
Both smarting from their defeats at the hands of Cape Cobras in their tournament openers, local favourites Royal Challengers Bangalore and New Zealand's Otago Volts would be desperate to put their campaigns back on track when they meet in their second group C match of the Champions League Twenty20 tournament here on Monday.Anil Kumble's Royal Challengers and Craig Cumming's Otago Volts were both stung by South African side Cape Cobras in their respective opening matches, leaving them with no other option but to raise their game if they are to keep alive their hopes of progressing to the league stage of the tournament.
The Royal Challengers lost to Cobras despite a good batting performance and it was a mixture of poor bowling and JP Duminy's batting pyrotechnics that did them in.
Robin Uthappa and Ross Taylor have shown that they are in good nick and any batting order that includes the likes of Rahul Dravid, Virat Kohli, Jacques Kallis and Mark Boucher is bound to keep their opponents sleepless nights.
But for the Bangalore side, bowling remains their biggest chink in the armoury and their inability to defend a 180-run target against the Cobras expose the frailties of their leather-flingers.
Praveen Kumar has been among the wickets but could not stem the run flow while Vinay Kumar, Roelf van der Merwe and even Kumble looked clueless against Duminy.
The IPL runners-up might still prevail over their Kiwi opponents on Monday since Otago's was a worse performance against the Cobras.
The side Craig Cumming allowed the Cobras to post 193 and chasing the target, folded for 139 in 17-odd overs.
Their bowling looked pretty ordinary and Cumming was clueless when Andrew Puttick went after the bowlers during his unbeaten 62-ball hurricane knock of 104.
Despite having Kiwi internationals like the McCullum brothers -- Brendon and Nathan -- Aaron Redmond and Neil Broom besides English all-rounder Dimitri Mascarenhas, there is a certain brittle look about the top order and they would have to raise their games by a few notches on Monday to get back to winning ways.
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Anil Kumble (Captain), Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Balachandra Akhil, Rajesh Bishnoi, Mark Boucher, Rahul Dravid, Jacques Kallis, Virat Kohli, Praveen Kumar, Manish Pandey, Dale Steyn, Ross Taylor, Robin Uthappa, Roelof van der Merwe, Vinay Kumar.
Otago Volts: Craig Cumming (Captain), Nick Beard, Neil Broom, Ian Butler, Derek de Boorder, Matt Harvie, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, James McMillan, Warren McSkimming, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Aaron Redmond, Hamish Rutherford, Greg Todd, Neil Wagner.
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