RCB hopes to break jinx to stay the course

Unfazed by three consecutive losses, including one on May 2 here, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) hopes to break the jinx on Saturday when they take on Rising Pune Supergiants in the league tie of IPL here to stay the course for a place in the play-offs.

"Every game is a must win for us from now onwards to make it to the play-offs. We have to give 150 percent tomorrow (Saturday) to stay the course," RCB's new all-rounder Chris Jordan told reporters here on Friday ahead of the tie at the Chinnaswamy stadium.

With only two wins, including one over Sunrisers Hyderabad on April 12 here and Pune on April 22 at Pune, RCB is languishing at the seventh position in the eight-team points table, with 4 points, as it lost five of the seven games it played so far.

"We have put all defeats, including the last (to Kolkata Knight Riders) behind and remain positive to give our best, treating all the seven upcoming games as a semi-final to bounce back," said the 27-year-old Barbados-born English player.

Jordan joined RCB on May 1 when the annual summer tournament is halfway through in place of Aussie pacer Mitchell Starc, who is out of action for the tournament due to injuries.

"Though we won against Pune by 13 runs last time (April 22), it is important for us to take early wickets, especially in the first power play, as they are in form, having beaten Delhi Daredevils by seven wickets yesterday (Thursday) in Delhi," Jordan reiterated.

With weak bowling, particularly in death overs, making it difficult for RCB to defend its totals, it is a do-or-die contest for it to regain the momentum for the remaining six matches, including three here and three away.

After winning the first game against Sunrisers on April 12 and losing the next game to Delhi Daredevils on April 17 here, RCB played four away matches, in the league's first phase, losing to Mumbai Indians on April 20 in Mumbai, but winning over Pune on April 22 at Pune on April 22, and then losing again to Gujarat Lions on April 24 at Rajkot and Sunrisers on April 30 in Hyderabad.

"We are taking every match seriously and have plans in place to execute them, focusing on each game as one at a time than looking far ahead. We got to regain our winning momentum," Jordan asserted.

RCB hopes to win in the back-to-back tie with Pune, as the latter plays without its star overseas players like Kevin Pietersen, Steve Smith and Faf Du Plessis, who are out of action for the remaining part of the season due to injuries.

"If we can pull it off again over Pune, the win could be a good script to make the turn around," Jordan noted, adding the team had plans to get the opponents in-form opener Ajinkya Rahane, who steered it over Delhi with an unbeaten 63 in 48 balls.

--IANS

fb/vd