Five of the nine franchises are captained by foreign players, leading to
the debate about whether foreign captains are a liability when they
don't perform well. Seven games into this tournament, Pune Warriors have
already had three captains - Angelo Mathews, Ross Taylor and Aaron
Finch (all foreigners). One was an enforced change, with Mathews forced
to sit out a game in Chennai, leaving Taylor to lead. However, Mathews'
poor form (5 matches, 52 runs, 1 wicket) has upset the team's plans and
hence he was left out of Warriors' last game against Kings XI Punjab,
handing the captaincy to the inexperienced Aaron Finch.
The leadership crisis hasn't helped Warriors as they stay at No.8 in the
points table, above Delhi Daredevils. If Warriors decide to go with an
Indian captain, the only logical option is Yuvraj Singh, who returned
after missing two games to injury. Ross Taylor didn't feature against
Kings XI, in order to accommodate Luke Wright. The questions remain - if
not Mathews, who will walk out for the toss in Bangalore? Will they
settle on an Indian captain once and for all?
They've been dogged by inconsistency all season. In Mohali, they had the
upper hand at the start of the final over with 15 to defend, but
Wright's horrid over handed the game to Kings XI. Warriors had positives
to draw from the defeat, but against Royal Challengers Bangalore, their
bowlers will have to step up.
Royal Challengers are the team with the best home record this season,
having not conceded a single game at Chinnaswamy. Their match against
Warriors will be their last at home before they embark on a six-matches
tour. Their next home fixture is on May 14. Against Rajasthan Royals,
their seamers did well to keep the total to an underwhelming 117. The
chase was measured, with Chris Gayle scoring a patient 49. It may not
have been the most entertaining chase, but Royal Challengers were
determined to keep wickets in hand and not choke.
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