Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will hope to get their campaign back on track after an inconsistent opening that saw them losing two of their first three games, when they host an equally vulnerable Lucknow Super Giants in an Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 clash in Bengaluru on Tuesday.

Currently tottering at the 8th place in the 10-team IPL standings, RCB have two points from three matches, and alarmingly their net run rate has plummeted to -0.71 after a heavy defeat against Kolkata Knight Riders in their previous outing at home last week.

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Initially it was their bowling that caused them headaches, but of late, the top order batting, barring Virat Kohli, has also added to RCB’s struggles. Kohli remains the only consistent top-order batter in the RCB line-up with two fifties from three matches.

As such, RCB will hope for their skipper Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar and Cameron Green, who constitute the cream of the top and middle-order, to do some heavy-lifting with the willow. The quartet’s collective returns from three matches stand at – Du Plessis (46, Avg: 15.33), Maxwell (31, Avg: 10.33), Green (54, Avg: 18) and Patidar (21, Avg: 7), and terming them underwhelming is an understatement.

In that scenario, the team might opt for a new combination and drop an underperforming Patidar for the match, and try out Suyash Prabhudessai, who is also a handy bowler.

So far, RCB has depended mostly on the contributions from the lower-middle order trio of Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat and Mahipal Lomror to add meat to the total.

RCB’s bowling attack has been their weaklink this season, and its a collective failure from the leaders of the pack — Mohammed Siraj and Alzarri Joseph. While Siraj has taken just two wickets in three matches, conceding 10 runs an over, his new-ball partner Joseph, RCB’s Rs 11.5 crore buy in the auction, has looked pedestrian and managed a solitary wicket, leaking 9.4 runs per over.

It will be interesting to see whether the RCB management decides to persist with Joseph or include either Reece Topley or Lockie Ferguson against Lucknow in the hope of adding some spice in their pace battery.

RCB’s spin unit comprising Glenn Maxwell, Karn Sharma and Mayank Dagar, also haven’t been able to control the opposition’s wrath in the middle overs, and thus will be expected to get their act together before it gets too late.

Rahul’s fitness a worry for LSG

On the other hand, the Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) with one win and a loss, will be hoping that their skipper KL Rahul is fully fit for the game and the rest of the tournament. Rahul came in as an Impact Sub in their 21-run win over Punjab Kings, and it will be interesting to see whether he is limited to that role with Nicholas Pooran taking over the captaincy duties.

LSG got their mojo back in their previous match with their batting order clicking collectively, and their bowling department bolstered by the raw pace of Mayank Yadav, effortlessly clocking 150 clicks. The 21-year-old Delhi quick instantly became the talk of the town for his breakneck speed that tested the likes of Shikhar Dhawan & Co, and returned with an impressive three-wicket haul on his IPL debut.

However, with the M Chinnaswamy Stadium offering shorter boundaries, he will be up for a stellar challenge against the likes of Kohli, Maxwell and the other RCB big-hitters.