Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore host MS Dhoni's CSK

Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Virat Kohli

Bangaloreans have been waiting patiently for two things - a few spells of rain to bring down the sweltering heat and some RCB wins to ease the pain of defeat after defeat.

Well, the rains are here - it is normal for CSK to bring rain most times they visit Bangalore - but a win at home is still awaited. The good news is that there have been two away wins, one of which came in Kolkata on Friday, a match that saw Virat Kohli notch a ton with an innings of two parts, an indifferent start culminating in a fabulous dash.

Will MS Dhoni play?

The game also saw the return of Dale Steyn to RCB colours but the more important part of the win was that it was achieved without an indisposed AB de Villiers in the side.

More than Kohli or De Villers for that matter, the man who's been doing all the right things is Moeen Ali. With his established all-round skills not put to optimum use by Kohli in the first few games, Ali is now the go-to man as acknowledged by the skipper himself after the win at the Eden Gardens.

Kohli's opposite number in the CSK camp and the man who from whom he took over the Indian captaincy, can never be accused of under-utilising anyone. Quite the opposite as Mahendra Singh Dhoni is one who brings out the man in a boy and the joy in a veteran.He himself turned into a spoilt child the other night when he walked out to have a discussion with the onfield umpires on the field when he was neither batting nor wicketkeeping.

It was a rare moment of indiscretion from the normally cool, calm and collected CSK skipper but at least it showed that Dhoni is actually human. As different as the two respective captains are in terms of personality and leadership styles, so are the positions of the two teams who are on opposite ends of the table.

The result of tonight's game is not going to make much of a difference to the table but the fact is that while CSK are right on top and very, very close to qualifying for the Playoffs, RCB are one loss away from altogether bowing out of the tournament. This rot this season started against the same opponents, will the turnaround too begin against CSK?

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