IPL 2015 Schedule: Live Stream, TV Info and Upcoming T20 Cricket Fixtures
The 2015 Indian Premier League hasn’t panned out quite like many would have expected this year and the unpredictability of this competition will be encapsulated perfectly when Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore go head-to-head.
Leading the way in the table are the Royals, who have been superb so far. They lost their first match of the tournament in a super over showdown against Kings XI Punjab last time out, but five successive wins prior to that have steered them to the summit of the standings. By comparison, Bangalore’s star-studded side are rooted to the bottom of the table.
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On the cusp of this critical clash between two teams experiencing contrasting campaigns, here’s a closer examination of the fortunes of both sides and a look at some of the upcoming fixtures to savour in the IPL.
| April 24 | 3:30 p.m | Rajasthan Royals v Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| April 25 | 11:30 a.m. | Mumbai Indians v Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| April 25 | 3:30 p.m | Chennai Super Kings v Kings XI Punjab |
| April 26 | 11:30 a.m. | Kolkata Knight Riders v Rajasthan Royals |
| April 26 | 3:30 p.m | Delhi Daredevils v Royal Challengers Bangalore |
| April 27 | 3:30 p.m | Kings XI Punjab v Sunrisers Hyderabad |
| April 28 | 3:30 p.m | Chennai Super Kings v Kolkata Knight Riders |
| April 29 | 3:30 p.m | Royal Challengers Bangalore v Rajasthan Royals |
| April 30 | 3:30 p.m | Kolkata Knight Riders v Chennai Super Kings |
Matches are live on Sky Sports and can be streamed via Sky Go.
Challengers Looking to Kickstart Campaign
Aside from pre-tournament favourites Chennai Super Kings, Bangalore have arguably the finest squad in the competition on paper. They are home to some incredible batsmen and magnificent bowlers, but as of yet they’ve failed to flourish as a unit, winning just one of their four games.
Indeed, even with players like Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers in situ, the Challengers are struggling. The balance in the squad just isn’t quite there at the moment and in their loss against the Super Kings, Ashish Nehra tore through their illustrious batting line-up with ease.
As noted by HoldingWilleyCricket, given the supreme talent in their ranks, Bangalore should be faring better:
"The problem with #RCB is every batsman gives a hope! #RCBvCSK #IPL
— HoldingWilleyCricket (@holdingwilley) April 22, 2015"
In the wake of that defeat, skipper Kohli admitted that the whole team must take responsibility for this early slump, per ESPN Cricinfo:
"There's not much I can say at this point. We've really disappointed ourselves more than anyone else and we've not really performed as a group.We have to have a talk about it with the team and can't afford to lose matches like this," he said.
With Kohli’s words considered, perhaps the result against the Super Kings will be a watershed moment for Bangalore. After all, Mitchell Starc is back in the fold for the team and his aggressive brand of left-arm bowling will add a different edge to the XI; against the league leaders the pressure will be off too.
Perhaps the loss to Kings XI will burst the Rajasthan bubble? Their run of wins was halted by the toiling Punjab side in the most heartbreaking circumstances, losing out in a super over. But they have shown the requisite attributes in the infancy of this competition to suggest the talent and temperament is there to bounce back.
According to the team’s leading run-scorer Ajinkya Rahane, it’s not a loss that will serve as a setback to this eminently effective side:
Indeed, you get the impression that Rajasthan’s success isn’t built on precarious foundations. After all, they’ve emerged as victors already in narrow contests early on in the competition and with no real superstars in their ranks, a burgeoning team ethic seems to be helping them to crucial victories.
As noted by cricket statistician Mohandas Menon, while there are teams better equipped to smash the ball out of the park than the Royals, their astute bowling has been so important in getting over the line:
Rajasthan’s momentum will naturally be sapped after such a tough loss to Kings XI, but they’ll still have enough to get the better of the Royal Challengers. There’s a steely resolve about this team and even in defeat last time out, there were championship traits on show from a side that has been so impressive in the infancy of this competition.
For Bangalore this match represents a major test against an opponent that is almost the antithesis of their own squad at the moment. The Royal Challengers resemble a group of fractious components at this juncture and that will surely show over the course of what will be a gripping IPL occasion.
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