A half-century from the returning captain, a hat-trick by a debutant legspinner, and opponents reeling at 33 for 5 in chase of 143. Royal Challengers Bangalore really shouldn’t have lost from there, but somehow, via Kieron Pollard’s 47-ball 70, they did, against one of their fiercest rivals. It was their third loss in four matches in IPL 10. And for Mumbai Indians, it was a third consecutive win and a fine view from the top of the table. Also Read - IPL 2020 Kings XI Punjab Team Preview: With Anil Kumble-KL Rahul in Ranks, 'Perennial Underachievers' KXIP Eye Maiden Title in UAE

The loss wasn’t undeserved. Virat Kohli did hit the ground running on his comeback, scoring an attractive 47-ball 62. Thereafter, Samuel Badree had all of Parthiv Patel, Mitchell McClenaghan and Rohit Sharma dismissed in consecutive balls. He then added the scalp of the in-form Nitish Rana to end with brilliant figures of 4 for 9 in his four-over quota. However, these performances only disguised substantial weaknesses in the Bangalore line-up, the most pertinent of them being the position of Chris Gayle. Also Read - IPL 2020: All The Major Team And Individual Records From Previous Seasons

Yes, the Jamaican heavyweight is now just three runs away from becoming the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in the Twenty20 format. It is historic – a word that can’t be used too lightly in an idea as young as Twenty20 cricket – and the landmark was always going to be first reached by Gayle, whose big-hitting feats played its part in making the IPL and T20 cricket an attraction among the young and the impressionable. Also Check- IPL 2017- Full Coverage Also Read - IPL 2020: Deepak Chahar Shares 15-Year-Old Photo With Chennai Super Kings Teammate Shane Watson

But it has been evident for some time now that his star is on the wane. He is no longer the first name in the XI, and the Bangalore management has dropped him a fair few times over the last two seasons, the most recent instance being in the trip to Indore for the clash against Kings XI Punjab, where he had to make way and accommodate AB de Villiers, who promptly scored a 46-ball 89.

Thereafter, ahead of the clash against Mumbai, Kohli more or less implied that Gayle was indeed still the first name on the sheet – but only for home games at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, where the conditions, the size of the ground, and of course home support, potentially maximises the chances of a Gayle epic.

Gayle, however, has a weakness against offspinners. So far, he has been dismissed 19 times in 57 innings in which he has faced off-spin, and against Harbhajan Singh, heading into the Mumbai clash, he had scored just 65 runs in 65 balls in the IPL, with three dismissals. Rohit Sharma, well aware of the chink in the armour, used up Harbhajan in a single spell with the specific intention of curbing Gayle. It worked. Gayle’s 22 took up 27 balls – the boundaries were few, and his inability to run swiftly between wickets meant he played 16 dot balls in that brief knock. At the other end, Kohli – usually compulsively intent on converting singles to twos – had to curb his running as well to accommodate Gayle. Also Check- Indian Premier League (IPL) 2017 Schedule

The lack of runs in the first half of the innings put extra pressure on an already fragile middle order and Bangalore – with no boundaries in the last 32 balls of the innings – ended up with a paltry 142.

The plan was for Gayle to see off Harbhajan and then make up the scoring deficit by targeting the remaining bowlers, but it was always a risky plan, and it backfired when he attempted a wild heave. He was caught behind off a fairly innocuous Hardik Pandya delivery.

This isn’t a sudden development. Gayle’s form has been falling steadily. His last century for Bangalore came in the 2015 season, against Punjab who at the time were wooden-spoon contenders. Last season, in the 10 matches he played, he totalled 227 runs and averaged just 22.70, with a high score of 76, which came in the final against Sunrisers Hyderabad, albeit in a losing cause. He had a marginally better 2015, although still miles off the highs of 2012 and 2013 – his 491 runs in 14 matches came at an average of 40.91 and strike-rate of 147.44.

Unfortunately for Bangalore, with the losses now piling up, they can’t keep carrying the maverick in the hope of him coming good. And with the visit of Rising Pune Supergiant on Sunday (April 16), it will be interesting to see what changes they make. Tymal Mills being the pace spearhead, Badree now more or less undroppable, and the same being the case of AB de Villiers, there is just one slot left for an overseas player – all of Gayle, Shane Watson and Travis Head will be in contention for that. While both Gayle and Watson are struggling for form, the intriguing option would be to go with Head, with the hope that he will add some solidity to the middle order.

However, going by batting coach Trent Woodhill’s statement on the eve of the match, Gayle remains the favourite to retain his spot. “I have to get the best out of Chris and Shane — whoever is selected,” Woodhill said. “As for Chris, he’s hitting the ball well in training. He’s not far away from a big score and I hope it is tomorrow (against Pune). You take a chance against Gayle at your own peril. He’s got a fantastic record in T20s and has been good all these years. Looking at yesterday’s match, (Kieron) Pollard was exceptional. Virat also had a great knock. That means two out of 22 players were able to master the conditions here. It’s a case that when someone gets (settles) in, they are set. Pollard was the difference in the match and it will be nice if someone can do that for us tomorrow.” Also Check- IPL 2017 Points Table

It would be nice, yes. However, with three losses out of four, this season already has all the features of a typical Bangalore season – early losses, mid-tournament form and a late fight for the playoffs.

There is plenty ailing the side apart from the Gayle conundrum – Kedar Jadhav has been in good form in domestic cricket and scored a 69 against Delhi Daredevils last week, but the rest of the middle order is suspect, lending particular significance to the absence of KL Rahul through injury. There is a huge empty hole in the place of an Indian pace bowling option in the mould of a Bhuvneshwar Kumar or Umesh Yadav – Stuart Binny’s gentle medium pace is susceptible to being punished by sloggers – and it’s affecting the balance of the side. All of which lends to a potentially disastrous lack of balance.

The question Bangalore have to ask themselves is how long they are willing to tamper with the balance of the side in the hope of Gayle coming good? And is it worth it?