RCB's top six batsmen have to convert the starts: Albie Morkel

By B D Narayankar

Bangalore: Royal Challengers Bangalore allrounder Albie Morkel has said that at least one of their top six batsmen would need to score a big one in Friday's match if they are keen to get the better of indomitable Kings XI Punjab.
"Most of our batsmen got good starts. But we didn't convert. The best innings was of AB (de Villiers) who hit 89. And if you want to win T20 games, out of the top 5-6 batsmen, one has to go out and score a big one.
"30s and 40s can win you games on occasions. From our batting point of view, we are aiming that somebody should score a big one," Morkel told reporters on the eve of the match.

The team needs to win at least five out of the seven remaining games, and the South African allrounder said, "We have seven games to play and have to win five to qualify for semifinals. Certainly, our goal is to play well in the next seven games."

Morkel said RCB would try to take advantage of the home conditions and win three consecutive matches in Bangalore.
"It is a blessing in disguise to play three matches (in Bangalore). If you want to qualify, you have to win home matches. We will go out and try to win all three. We are proud of our record here," said Morkel.
"We are playing Punjab tomorrow. It is going to be a tough contest. They have a few dangerous batsmen. But we are taking things game by game. We haven't yet peaked. Hopefully, that happens tomorrow.
"We all know Virat Kohli is a feisty character and he will be up for it (to win five out of seven games). I think the team will respond very well. It is going to be a good contest. We are prepared like any other game. Hopefully, we recharge ourselves," he said.
Morkel said his team is a very competitive but the batting hasn't clicked as expected.
"We have been doing so many things right and were close to winning games. I think our batting unit probably has not done well as expected," he said.
Replying to a query, Morkel said quite a few niggles were
there, but nothing to worry.
     "There are few niggles. Those are not new injuries. They
have been carrying for a while now. They can play with it.
Just they have to manage it well. For tomorrow's game, I think
everyone is fit. The physio is working overtime. We would
entertain the people and 'Gaylestorm' is around," he said.
     On Mitchell Starc and Kieron Pollard's ugly on-field
spat, Morkel said "both players went wrong and from RCB's
point of view, we don't want this to be repeated".
     "It should not have happened," he said.
     Morkel also said that such incidents always happen in
Mumbai as the crowd gets behind the opposition teams.
     "It always happens when you play in Mumbai. The games I
played for Chennai, the matches in Mumbai were always heated.
The crowd gets behind them," he pointed out. 

Every team has a chance to comeback in India leg of IPL: Yuvraj Singh

B D Narayankar reports

Bangalore, May 1 (PTI) : Senior Indian batsman Yuvraj Singh today said though Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings are sitting at top of the table, the seventh edition of IPL is still wide open and there is chance for every team to stage a comeback.

"This is the time when teams leading would like to consolidate, teams like ours` would like to recover the lost ground and sides like Mumbai Indians would like to change their fortunes. As far as my experience says, everything is possible in this game," he said in an article on the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) website.

The Punjab southpaw said the Bangalore outfit believe they can be return back to winning ways if they play to their potential and use home conditions to their advantage.

"We know this for a fact, that if we play to our full potential, we can be back to winning ways. Everyone in the group believes this very strongly and are aspiring to make things better. And that`s what we aim to do when we get back to Bangalore," he said.

"Before getting back to Bangalore, we have two days to recharge our batteries and channelise our energies. Hopefully, the familiar surroundings of our home ground can make this recovery a little easier," he added. Yuvraj, who has had a rough time the last couple of matches, said the team need to overcome from their last three defats in the UAE leg of the tournament.

"Losing three matches in a row is definitely a setback, which we need to overcome very quickly. We had one terrible game against Rajasthan Royals and the other two games we just didn`t play the crucial moments well," he said.

Yuvraj said RCB has plenty of positives, including the right set-up and right combination of talents. "Honestly speaking, we have plenty of them. We have the right set-up, right players, great support staff and a very sporting franchise," he said.

"In this format, you lose and win your battles in a very short span and unlike Test cricket or One-Day cricket, you don`t have many chances to make a comeback," the Punjab lad added.

"We started this year`s IPL on a right note with two consecutive wins. Though, by the end of the first leg of the IPL, we somehow couldn`t carry forward that initiative." 

IPL 7: RCB replace injured Nic Maddinson with Rilee Rossouw

B D Narayankar writes

Dubai, April 28 (PTI): South African batsman Rilee Rossouw has replaced an injured Nic Maddinson in the Royal Challengers Bangalore squad, the Indian Premier League technical committee announced on Monday.

Left-handed Australian batsman Maddinson, 22, opened the batting for RCB in two games, scoring 4 and 12 respectively but was forced to fly out due to an injury. Roussow, 24, has been a regular in the South Africa A squad since 2010 and has been a heavy scorer in the domestic circuit as well.

The IPL Event Technical Committee had approved the replacement of injured players in this edition after Maddinson, Delhi Daredevils pacer Nathan Coulter-Nile and Chennai Super Kings all-rounder Dwayne Bravo had to opt out of their respective teams.

South African batsman Rossouw has replaced an injured Maddinson in the RCB squad, the Indian Premier League technical committee announced on Monday. (Getty Images)

Chennai may also seek a replacement for Bravo, who hurt his shoulder while attempting a catch on the boundary in the team's first match against Kings XI Punjab. According to the IPL player regulations, the three franchises can choose replacements from among the players who registered for the 2014 auction but were not bought.