Kolkata stay afloat; Bangalore need to re-group

The IPL now stands at the half-way stage and the Kolkata Knight Riders have done well to stay afloat despite some inconsistent performances. But while Shoaib Akhtar's coming should be a bonus for them, the Bangalore Royal Challengers need to sort out their batting woes soon or else they might well consider themselves out of the IPL race.

While Shoaib's teammates were busy finding ways to restrict the Bangalore top-order during Thursday's match, Shoaib Akhtar was happy sitting on the sidelines. Akhtar has been given time to regain full fitness ahead of the tough second half of the tournament.

"I had a really stressful last month. Now, I am just trying to get back to the side (Kolkata Knight Riders) as soon as possible. I am trying to regain my fitness with limited time and limited resources, so that I can play for the team quickly, maybe the next game," said Shoaib.

The Kolkata Knight Riders' second successive win over Bangalore Royal Challengers is more significant as it comes after four successive losses, and to a side depleted by the exit of key players.

"Yes, of course it gives us momentum as I said before. We still have four home games to play. If we can bat well with our bowling attack - I am waiting for Shoaib to get fit and if we can also bat well, then we can throw some challenge," said Kolkata skipper Sourav Ganguly.

For the Royal Challengers, the major area of concern is the complete failure of their batsmen to put enough runs on the board.

Rahul Dravid, with 169 runs in 8 matches is the highest scorer so far for the Royals, followed by Mark Boucher with 151 runs so far. Compare this with the Delhi Daredevils, who have Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag, who have scored more than 500 runs between them so far.

In fact, each of the remaining six franchises have at least one batsman who has scored more than 200-runs so far in the tournament.

"We haven't really fired with the bat. And now we have no choice but to win every single game from here on," said Dravid after the losing their match against Kolkata for the second time in this tournament.

Royal Challengers are now in danger of missing out on a semifinal spot and just can't afford to lose another match. It is important for them to realise the wake-up call, and respond with a big win.