IPL 2017 Fantasy Guide: Fantasy Tips for Rising Pune Supergiant vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

In a cricket frenzy nation, making it to the Indian squad demands a lot of consistency. When more than a billion aspire to wear that Indian jersey, you can’t really rely on talent to pull you through. Every 5km radius area has one talented player, good enough to make it till the top(provided he is exposed to the right kind of training). And as Harsha Bhogle rightly said, talent can open the first door, maybe even the second one, but it won’t open the last door for you. So, at the highest level it all comes down to consistency and perseverance because almost everyone equally talented. And this consistency is where Robin Uthappa misses out on.

Every year you switch on your TV to follow the KKR side you see this elegant batsmen, pulling fast bolwers in front of square, flicking them for a six over mid mid wicket, smothering spinners over long on, and then you start wondering why isn’t he part of the celebrated Indian limited overs side? It’s because as soon as he sheds those KKR colours, he loses shape, uncertainty creeps in, and the flamboyant stroke maker goes into hibernation.

For the past few seasons Uthappa has been drafted into the Indian limited overs side after brilliant performances in the IPL, but not once has he been able to cement his spot, owing to his poor run of form. Even the domestic circuit hasn’t been witness to Uthappa’s brilliance in the past few seasons, with him being ultimately dropped from Karnataka’s Ranji team this time round.

The talent is there for all to see, but the consistency still seems missing and thus Uthappa hasn’t really broken into the ‘Virat Kohli’ despite being as talented.

Uthappa’s brilliant stroke making helped KKR chase a rather meek total of 160 in good batting conditions. Gambhir played the role of the anchor once again and KKR romped to a successful chase at the Eden Gardens for the umpteenth time.

In the evening game, Sunrisers crossed the 200 mark, thanks to a brilliant batting performance from their top 3. And even though Shaun Marsh fought tooth and nail with the SRH bowling unit, lack of support from other players rendered his effort useless.

Rising Pune Supergiant vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Every time these two sides take on each other from now on the first focus would be on the Kohli-Smith relationship(battle). In the reverse fixture, the duo was all smiles before the toss and there seemed to be no animosity in this strained relationship.

Things have gone down hill for Kohli since, as RCB have looked a shade of themselves, with their batting line up unable to get any clarity going with regard to their roles in the side. Either they have been too tentative or have gone too hard a little too early. You could expect a few shake ups in their line up for today’s game.

Rising Pune Supergiant have recovered wonderfully well from their initial slump, piling on the wins and making a strong case for the playoff spot. Ben Stokes should be making his way into the team for this game. The top 3 have time and again provided them with a solid start, with Tripathi playing the aggressor and Rahane and Smith keeping one end tight. A lot would depend upon how Tahir is dealt with in this game, his 4 overs could determine the outcome of this game.

Let’s get to business now!
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Utkarsh Bhatla