RCB have been clinging to the slimmest of hopes for some time now that they could sneak into the top four in the qualifying table and qualify for the knockout phase of the tournament, and yet whenever they appear to find some of the form that might propel them into the last four, they falter once more.
That was the case once more earlier this week, when they faced the reigning Champions, the Mumbai Indians, in what was a vital fixture, if not quite a season defining meeting for both teams.
Managing just 151-5 in their 20 overs, Royal Challengers Bangalore were beaten by 6-wickets with eight balls remaining. A result that allowed Mumbai to keep pace with the rest of the top five, who look certain to contest the four play-off places over the course of the remaining fixtures in the qualifying phase of the 2016 competition, while leaving RCB stranded on eight points from 10 games, four points adrift of fourth spot.
The visitors to Bangalore on Saturday, the Gujarat Lions, in their debut IPL season, are riding high in second position with seven wins to their credit in 11 outings. However, with three sides lumped together just two points behind, two of which, the Delhi Daredevils and the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have a game in hand, the Lions know that their future in the 2016 IPL is far from certain. A victory against the struggling RCB will be a giant step towards clinching a top four finish.
The two sides previously went head to head on 24th April, when Virat Kohli scored a century in leading RCB to a total of 180-2. However, that score proved insufficient, as the Lions chased it down in19.3 overs for the loss of just four wickets.