The season for Rajasthan Royals so far can been neatly divided into two halves – before the tied game against Kings XI Punjab and after it.
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Before that clash last month, the Royals had won their first five matches and were on top of their game. But following that tied game, which Rajasthan lost in the Super Over, their fortunes have taken a hit.
They were thrashed by Royal Challengers Bangalore by nine wickets, saw two matches abandoned and then suffered defeats in two out of their next three matches.
As they prepare to take on fellow challengers for the top spot – Chennai Super Kings – today, Rajasthan know it’s not smooth sailing anymore and they need to iron out their flaws.
Their task won’t be easy as Chennai will be desperate to set the record straight after losing to Rajasthan in their earlier encounter and also to Mumbai Indians in their previous clash at home.
With the battle for the top position heating up, Royals seamer Tim Southee admits his team need to put up a better performance.
“I don’t think we bowled as well as we could have in the last couple of games. But we did bowl well at the start of the tournament and so we are capable of it,” he was quoted as saying by iplt20.com.
“We were a bit off in the last couple of games but I am sure the guys will work on it and turn up with a good performance tomorrow.
“The two washouts were not ideal, but you cannot control the weather. There were a couple of games that we probably should have won. But we did get a couple of wins early on in the tournament even though we didn’t play our best cricket.
"We still have two more games that we hope to win and go all the way to the final.”
One battle that the Kiwi quick is looking forward to is a possible face-off with compatriot and Super King’s dashing opener Brendon McCullum.
“I am looking forward to the challenge,” he said. “He is playing really well at the moment, playing some incredible shots and seems to be in a bit of a hurry. So, it will be nice to get one up on him and go to England (New Zealand’s next international tour) with the bragging rights.”