Royal Challengers Bangalore are feeling the pinch of lacking a fifth bowler and looking at Chris Gayle to fill the gap and avoid another thrashing, like the one against Chennai Super Kings in their last match.
Bangalore conceded 45 runs in the last two overs against Chennai at Chepauk and lost the match by five wickets.
"Unfortunately we cannot have a fifth or sixth bowler because we have to balance the side. Once Gayle starts bowling we will not have the fifth bowler problem. Gayle needs two or three games to be fit to bowl," Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan said.
RCB are putting a premium on Gayle and do not want to risk him by asking him to bowl as he is carrying a groin injury.
"We don't want to put extra pressure on him. If he bowls and something happens he would be out of the league and don't want him to lose a valued player like him," Muralitharan said.
Asked about Gayle's fitness for Sunday's match, he said, "He suffered cramps in the last match as Chennai was too hot. Anyway he is fit for tomorrow's match."
Muralitharan said it is not difficult for RCB to recover from an unexpected loss to CSK as T20 games are bound to be tight and close.
"We have to forget the last match and look at future games," he said.
He said almost all the teams impressed him in IPL 5 so far and added even the best team could be beaten by a lesser team.
"This is the beauty of T20 .... Didn't you see the previous games! Everyone is beating everyone," he said.
Photograph: Paul Kane/Getty Images
