Losing a match against Kings XI Punjab, Royal Challengers Bangalore would want to regroup and amend a part of their strategy going against Rajasthan Royals on Saturday, PTI reported. 

Virat Kohli pushed AB de Villiers down the order in a move he said was completely tactical. After De Villiers and Kohli were dismissed in a single over, RCB could only muster 171, batting first. Half-centuries by Chris Gayle and KL Rahul saw Punjab cross the line in a last-ball finish.

The Virat Kohli-led RCB has won five of its eight games on the back of all-round performances but the blunders against Kings XI Punjab will be fresh in their minds. On the other hand, the Royals’ campaign this season has been marred by numerous top-order collapses, forcing the lower half to pull them across the finish line.

Bangalore’s super over triumph against Mumbai Indians came at the Dubai International Stadium, where the team will battle the likes of Jofra Archer and Steve Smith.

The Royals lie at the seventh spot in the points table with just three wins from eight outings come from a 13-run loss against table toppers Delhi Capitals.

For RCB sending left-hander Washington Sundar (13) and Shivam Dube (23) up the order backfired. Only to add to RCB’s woes, while defending the total, Kohli decided to save the in-form Sundar for the big-hitting Chris Gayle, who came to bat in the eighth over. That gamble didn’t pay off either as the 41-year-old Jamaican smashed the young off-spinner for four sixes.

“We had a chat, a message from outside about left-right combination and we wanted to go with it because they had two leggies. Sometimes things don’t come off. We’re pretty happy with the decisions we took, but it didn’t come off,” Kohli said after the match.

However, Kohli and his men will look to shrug off the defeat. Meanwhile, the Royals boast of a strong batting line-up. But the likes of Steve Smith, and Sanju Samson have failed to score since the two victories in Sharjah at the beginning of the tournament.

For Rajasthan, the problem starts at the top with Jos Buttler’s form being a major concern. The Englishman has scored just one half-century in seven innings. After failing in his first match of the season, Ben Stokes, who has been elevated to the role of an opener, hit 41 before he was run out against the Delhi Capitals.

However, the 2008 champions have backed Rahul Tewatia, who has rescued them single handedly in two matches.

Jofra Archer spearheads the Rajasthan bowling unit, along with the spin duo of Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal, who have consistently figured in an XI that has gone through a lot of chopping and changing.

“We’ve had some good performances this year now we just need to get together and do well collectively in the coming games,” Archer said ahead of the match.

“We’ve been in this situation and before and have come back from this, so we’re not panicking about this, we know it can be done and I believe in this team to do it,” he added.