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Bangalore, Oct 3: The tournament has reached a stage where each and every match counts. Bangalore started as one of the pre-tournament favorites but are fast becoming the whipping boys of the group. But such has been the story in this group that even a team without a single point in their kitty so far can still dream of a berth in the semi-finals. But for that to happen, they must win the remaining two games handsomely and hope for the other results to go their way. They are now up against a team that has performed out of their skins and can be regarded as the team to beat in this group.

Somerset has been impressive in all the facets of the game and is in prime position to continue with their winning momentum. With the return of their two major T20 stars in Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler, it is very difficult to see them getting beaten at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium let alone getting battered, which is what all of Bangalore will be hoping for.

Bangalore: Bangalore has relied heavily on their top 3 to make the bulk of the scoring. It worked very well during the IPL with Chris Gayle and Virat Kohli amongst the top run getters. The formula has failed to repeat itself here and the absence of AB de Villiers has hit the hosts extremely hard. Saurabh Tiwary has been a colossal disappointment and has been a sort of a white elephant in the team. The later middle order lacks the sort of finishers that one would find in abundance in the other teams in the tournament.

Daniel Vettori bemoaned that it was the bowling and the fielding that was letting the team down and a cursory glance at the statistics tells the complete story. Barring the skipper, none of the other bowlers have managed create any sort of panic on the opposition. While it can be said that unlike the Hyderabad and Chennai pitches, the pitch at the M Chinnaswamy stadium has been a paradise for the batsmen, it does not absolve the lack of penetration by the Bangalore bowling line-up.

Somerset: Somerset entered the qualifiers with very low hype and expectations, but they have conjured up some brilliant performances since then to be at the pole position with two matches to go. Roelof van der Merwe and Peter Trego have been inspirational for Somerset with their all-round performances so far in the CL. The arrival of the two dashing batsmen in Craig Kieswetter and Jos Buttler could not have been timed better for the Sabres with the tournament entering the decisive phase. Rain denied them the opportunity of seeing any action against the Redbacks, but the batsmen should enjoy the conditions better at Bangalore.

Veteren Alphonso Thomas has led the bowling attack with aplomb and Somerset has even gone on to challenge the opposition with as many as 4 left arm spinners in operation. The bowling has performed as a unit but will be under the scanner on the true wicket of Bangalore coupled with shorter boundaries. Bangalore has become one of the best six hitting grounds in the competition and the spinners will need to be accurate to prevent the free scoring RCB batsmen.

Team News: Mohammad Kaif has struggled to create any sort of impact with the bat and may be replaced by either Arun Karthik or the big hitting Asad Pathan. Sreenath Aravind went for runs in his first spell, but with lack of options, he might well retain his place in the team unless the management opts for Abhimanyu Mithun.

Somerset has no selection worries and should play the same team that was selected for the match against the Redbacks.

Quotes:

Our bowling and fielding, in particular, need to improve dramatically if we want to give ourselves a chance of winning against Somerset – Daniel Vettori knows that Bangalore cannot afford more slip ups.

We came here without a few first-choice players like Craig Kieswetter, Marcus Trescothick, Jos Buttler and Kieron Pollard but we stayed together and did well, and that's the way forward for us – Murali Kartik emphasizes the team spirit in the Somerset camp.

Final word: Bangalore knows what it is to make a comeback from near hopeless situations. They won 4 matches in a row to make the semis in the 2009 IPL. Will they show the spirit and get back to their winning ways?

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bangalore (From): Daniel Vettori(c), Sreenath Aravind, Mayank Agarwal, Abhimanyu Mithun, Arun Karthik, Tillakaratne Dilshan(w), Chris Gayle, Mohammad Kaif, Virat Kohli, Dirk Nannes, Asad Pathan, Saurabh Tiwary, Syed Mohammad Jamaluddin, Raju Bhatkal

Somerset (From): Alfonso Thomas(c), Roelof van der Merwe, Peter Trego, Arul Suppiah, Steve Kirby, Craig Kieswetter, Murali Kartik, James Hildreth, George Dockrell, Adam Dibble, Nick Compton, Jos Buttler, Alex Barrow, Steve Snell(w), Chris Jones, Lewis Gregory

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