Bangalore Royal Challengers are no longer royalty. Failing to take off all through the tournament, the side has looked rugged and the fact that they now lie at the bottom would only surprise those who thought Twenty20 cricket was played in white flannels.

One wonders what is in store for skipper Rahul Dravid. The least he would have hoped for from his team after team owner Vijay Mallya went ballistic against one of India’s most successful batsman would have been a charged-up show against Kings XI Punjab today. But going by how Monday was no different from their six previous defeats in the IPL, Dravid would clearly want the tournament, and his agony to end as soon as possible. A score of 143 for eight in 20 overs on a good batting surface was never going to be enough, and all Dravid could do was watch as the hosts achieved the target in a ruthless manner.

The contrast cannot be more pronounced. If Mohali are a bunch of T20 experts, Bangalore have played like greenhorns in this format; if Punjab are methodical in their play, Bangalore never seemed to have had a plan. Their batting order is unsettled, their bowling is clearly over-burdened with expectations and their skipper hasn’t been able to get the best of whatever resources he and the team management bargained for in the players auction. So much so, that Dravid has been forced to bench one of his most expensive buys, Jacques Kallis, due to mediocre performance.

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