Victoria brace up for a Royal challenge

From Thursday, it will be a battle of the Super Eights in the Champions League Twenty20, and beginning the proceedings will be IPL-II runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore and KFC T20 Big Bash runners-up Victoria Bushrangers from Australia, reports Bivabasu Kumar.

From Thursday, it will be a battle of the Super Eights in the Champions League Twenty20, and beginning the proceedings will be IPL-II runners-up Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and KFC T20 Big Bash runners-up Victoria Bushrangers from Australia.

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With very little to distinguish between the two sides, it promises to be another high-voltage encounter considering their versatility and all-round performance.

Both teams have an equal win-loss ratio (one win, one defeat) in the tournament so far, and from now, only the strongest will survive. There's a slight difference though, RCB thumped Otago Volts with an 80-run win in their last match here and Victoria lost to Wayamba Elevens by 15 runs in Delhi on Wednesday.

But will it have any bearing on Thursday's match? Probably not. It was one rare day when a formidable Bushrangers batting line-up buckled against the Sri Lankan side. Led by Robert Quiney at the top of the batting order, the Bushrangers more often than got get off to a flier. The Victorian, who represents the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL, has every attacking shot in his kitty and his intrepidity is his hallmark.

Never afraid to hit a ball on the rise, he is one batsman the RCB bowlers should watch out for in the first six overs. Brad Hodge is next in line among the dangermen. He is compact, witty and has a certain style about his batting. His unbeaten 44 against Wayamba must have already sent the alarm bell ringing in the RCB camp.

The Australian side enjoys the same bite in their bowling like in their batting. Peter Siddle is aggressive, unrelenting and remorseless. He is famous for charging down the batsmen's nose and giving them that "dare you hit me" stare. It will be exciting to see how RCB openers, Robin Uthappa and Jacques Kallis, tackle him at the top.

The home team has a few points to cheer about too. The RCB'S last group outing against the Otago Volts was a creditable performance. And if Anil Kumble's men can once again execute their plans to perfection, they can defeat the Bushrangers.

Both Uthappa and Kallis must build a good opening partnership to let others fire down the order.

Virat Kohli was quick to score runs in both the games and his big hits come handy in the middle overs. Ross Taylor seems to be in prime form, and, if he can pull off one of his big-hitting stints, the Bushrangers might find it difficult to look beyond the league stage.