All set for battle of Royals in Bangalore

BANGALORE: Two teams uncertain about the combination to be fielded on the park but desperate for a favourable turnaround lock horns in what can be labeled as a battle of equals in Bangalore on Tuesday night.
The Daniel Vettori-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) are returning to the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on the back of three consecutive, morale-zapping defeats while Rajasthan Royals (RR) have landed on a shaky note with Shane Warne's boys losing convincingly to Kolkata Knight Riders twice in three days.
For the home team, more worrying than the losses is the comprehensiveness of those setbacks with the last one against Chennai Super Kings marked by some abysmal fielding, particularly on the catching front.
Such a sorry fielding show will irk a perfectionist like coach Ray Jennings but the team management has its hands full with the batting and bowling too failing to infuse much confidence. Opener Tillakaratne Dilshan's return of 67 runs from four outings has been a cause of real worry and the crisis has been compounded by an inconsistent show by the middle order.
The shocking promotion of Zaheer Khan to number three against Deccan Charges and sending in Asad Pathan at the same crucial position in the CSK match ended in disaster. It would be ideal to assign the one-drop role to Virat Kohli, who loves to settle in before getting into the rampage mode.
In contrast, the captain in Warne was quick to understand the need to utilize the strength of the key players to the full as he allotted Shane Watson the opening role in RR's last match. Though the Royals caved in for just 81, much of that debacle could be attributed to the inexperience in the batting department where five of the top seven batsmen were domestic faces.
Royals sorely needed the stability usually provided by Rahul Dravid, who missed the clash with a quadriceps tear. The good news for Warne is that the Karnataka batsman is set to return for the emotionally-charged contest against his former franchisee, in front of his home fans.
But the toughest call for Warne will be to decide whether to retain Shaun Tait in the eleven at the expense of Johan Botha. The latter had been phenomenal in RR's two victories so far, his prime contribution surprisingly coming with the willow.
Tait can be a handful against a batting line-up which is far from confident and the Aussie speedster did bowl well against KKR the other night. In any case, Warne seems set to play five specialist bowlers.
RCB, on the other hand, messed it up by opting for four specialist bowlers in the last game, a ploy which seemed illogical when the available quartet itself has not set in with the lone exception of Vettori. Dirk Nannes' is unlikely to return for Tuesday's game and that may pave the way for the entry of South African pacer Charl Langeveldt.
In IPL-4, Royals have won twice chasing and lost as many batting first. This might be a factor influencing the decision of a skipper if the toss favours him. A head-to-head record of three each in IPL suggests these two teams leave little to choose from.
KEY CLASHES:
Shane Warne vs Daniel Vettori
The two spinner-captains of IPL-4 have put up an incredible show with their slow yet contrasting bowling styles. The duo has troubled the opponent batsmen with a tight line and length leading to a miserly economy-rate, a priceless asset in the T20 format. However, on the captaincy front, Warne holds the advantage, both with his experience and tactical acumen. It is up to Vettori to prove that there is a bold captain behind that calm presence.
Ross Taylor vs RCB bowlers
It's a homecoming of a sort for the Kiwi batsman Taylor. The right-hander was the darling of the Bangalore crowd in the first three seasons, with his murderous cross-batted heaves and penchant for maximums making him easily the most aggressive of the RCB batsmen. Now, in RR colours, Taylor is up against a new-look RCB bowling line-up and whether he will still manage loyal following among the Chinnaswamy crowd remains to be seen.
Shane Watson vs Tillakaratne Dilshan
The Aussie and the Lankan are expected to chip in with their all-round skills for RR and RCB respectively. Watson undoubtedly is a more rounded cricketer but in terms of roles assigned, Dilshan is as important a part of Bangalore's plans as Watson is for RR. A big performance from the right-handed duo is what their teams are desperately waiting for.