Adam Gilchrist during a practice session, in Bangalore, on Wednesday. (PTI)

Bangalore: The Deccan Chargers are virtually out of contention for a semi-final berth, but the holders would be hoping to redeem a lacklustre run with a rousing show on Thursday, versus the Royal Challengers Bangalore, a team who have everything to play for in the Indian Premier League.

The Chargers were done in by five back-to-back losses and the Hyderabad side find themselves struggling in the bottom half of the IPL table with just six points from nine outings. Adam Gilchrist and Co., however, would be hoping to bounce back at the floodlit Chinnaswamy Stadium to keep alive whatever slender chance remains of progress into the semis.

A must-win match against the formidable Royal Challengers is no doubt a task of Herculean proportions for an out of sorts team but it does not stop there. The defending champions will have to ensure victory in their remaining four matches after Thursday to stay in the race. Looking at the form and morale though, such a proposition looks highly unlikely.

Indeed, the Chargers have been time and again let down by their top players’ inability to finish games.

Gilchrist, Herschelle Gibbs and Andrew Symonds have failed to deliver when it mattered most. Young Rohit Sharma has been their batting mainstay, but with very little support from the other end, his efforts have invariably gone in vain. The Royal Challengers, on the other hand, are third on the table behind the Mumbai Indians and the Delhi DareDevils and victory on Thursday is something the Bangalore side could do with.

Anil Kumble’s boys have garnered 10 points from nine games so far and will have to come up trumps at home to consolidate their position in the league. The Royal Challengers will have to win at least three of their remaining five games to make the cut, especially with the Chennai Super Kings (10 from 10) and the Rajasthan Royals (10 from 10) snapping at their heels.

As the league enters its defining stage, only the Mumbai Indians (14 from nine) and the DareDevils (12 from nine) seem assured of a place in the last-four. But if form is the measure, then the Royal Challengers should call the shots in Thursday’s crucial tie. Robin Uthappa has been in blistering form and the right-hander’s brutal power hitting has decimated attacks with the likes of Sreesanth, Lakshmipathy Balaji and Brett Lee.

If Uthappa, Jacques Kallis, Manish Pandey and Virat Kohli are not enough worry for the Chargers, the return of Ross Taylor, Kevin Pietersen and Cameron White add another dimension to their destructiveness.

The Royal Challengers bowling is in the responsible hands of the experienced Kumble and South Africa pacer Dale Steyn. (PTI)