Must-win situation for Warne & Kumble in battle royale

JAIPUR: Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore go into Wednesday's clash fully aware that a loss would more or less rule them out of contention for a semifinal berth this season.
Both teams have 12 points from as many matches but RCB have a better net run-rate in comparison to Royals, who lost to Mumbai Indians by 37 runs on Sunday.
Despite that loss, Royals will seek comfort from the fact that they are playing at home and against a side that hasn't fared well away, losing four out of their last six matches - the most recent being the loss to Deccan Chargers in Nagpur on Monday.
Meanwhile, Shane Warne would be hoping for a better display on the field following their poor show against Mumbai, where they dropped Sachin Tendulkar, who was eventually declared Man of the Match for his unbeaten 89, and also missed run-out chances to lose initiative from a dominant position.
Batsmen were also found wanting with their calling between the wickets, which resulted in as many as three run outs. The hosts will also expect the likes of Naman Ojha, Michael Lumb, Shane Watson and Yusuf Pathan to fire again in their last home encounter.
On the other hand, Anil Kumble's men would do well to show some urgency in their batting, especially in the first six overs, to ease the pressure on the middle-order, which has often been left with too much to do.
Opener Manish Pandey needs to come good after a string of poor scores while Jacques Kallis must ensure a healthy run-rate.
Their middle-order looks formidable with Rahul Dravid, Robin Uthappa, Virat Kohli and Ross Taylor all in decent nick.
RCB, though, have no worries when it comes to their bowling, with Dale Steyn being the best paceman on view this season and skipper Kumble keeping the opposition in check with his economical bowling.
The last time these two sides met, Kumble's men registered one of their biggest victories, winning by 10 wickets with more than nine overs to spare after dismissing Rajasthan Royals for just 92 runs.
Now, it's time for Warne & Co to pay back in the same coin.