Crunch game for Rajasthan Royals, RCB

DUBAI: The Rajasthan Royals and the Royal Challengers Bangalore both find themselves in a quandary ahead of their encounter at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Saturday. Regardless of where they stand in the points table, both sides are coming out from a defeat in their previous game.
The Royals are fresh from a batting debacle in their previous match, which they should have won chasing 140 against Chennai Super Kings.In contrast, the Challengers are fresh from a shocker of a defeat in their previous encounter, which they thought they'd almost won before a stunning catch in the last over changed it all.
After indications that Chris Gayle would finally play his first match on Thursday, which the Jamaican did not, there's been no further update on his availability for Saturday's encounter either. If he does figure in the XI, it'll only add to the pressure for Rajasthan, who've lost two matches already.
The big question for RCB, though, is in whose place can they bring in Gayle? Among the overseas batsmen in the side, AB de Villiers is irreplaceable and so is Albie Morkel, who lends great all-round value.
Dropping Muthiah Muralitharan is a tough call simply because of the experience he lends to the RCB attack. So is the case with Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc.
RCB have no choice but to go in with a bowler less and use Gayle's part-time spin if and when the West Indies batsman is ready to play.