One loss will knock RCB out of play-offs Says Chahal
Bengaluru, May 13 (CRICKETNMORE): Noting that even one loss in the remaining four league ties will knock them out of contention for the Indian Premier League (IPL) play-offs, leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal on Friday asked his Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teammates to give their best in Saturday's must-win match against debutants Gujarat Lions.
"We are in a very tight spot. If we lose even one match, we are out of play-offs. Hence, all the four games are a must win for us. Let's see how they play out. Nothing is impossible," the 25-year-old Haryana leg-spinner told reporters here on Friday.
With only four wins and six losses from 10 games, the home team are stuck at the sixth position in the points table. They need to win all the four remaining games, including two away ties next week in order to reach the fourth position and for a place in the semi-finals depending upon how other three teams fare with net run rate.
The play-offs, including two qualifiers and one eliminator are scheduled between May 24-27 here and in and Delhi and the final on May 29 here.
"As I said, we have to win all the four games for a chance in play-offs. Otherwise, we are out of contest. We are now preparing very hard for the Saturday's match," Chahal reiterated.
Of the five games RCB played on the home turf, it won just two - over Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 12 and Rising Pune Supergiants on May 7 -- but lost to Delhi Daredevils on April 17, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on May 2 and Mumbai Indians on May 11.
Similarly, in the five away games, RCB won only two games -- over Pune on April 20 and Kings XI on May 9, but lost to Mumbai on April 20, Gujarat on April 24 and Hyderabad on April 30.
Admitting that the team was under pressure to win at any cost for regaining the momentum, Chahal said the players were training hard to give their best for outright wins if they had to be in the reckoning for place in the semis.
"In T20s, a combination of factors, including overall performance will determine the result, We can't afford to lose any game so as to keep our hopes alive," he quipped.
On the team's composition against Gujarat, Chahal said the management would decide the final 11 by Saturday afternoon after studying the pitch, which had undergone change over a month.
"The pitch has undergone a change in a month from being fast to a bit slow. It's still a strong batting wicket. The ground being smaller, bowlers will be under pressure to contain batsmen from chasing even a high score," he said.
On the team's bowling attack being weak and inconsistent, Chahal said in some games, more runs were given away in death overs, as even two bad overs could change the complexity of the match during the power plays.
After Saturday's match, RCB will play against Knight Riders in Kolkata on May 16 and return home for its penultimate tie against Kings XI on May 18 and fly to Raipur in Jharkhand for its last league tie against Delhi on May 22.
Agency.