As they aim for a top-two finish, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will approach their final league match against the inconsistent Lucknow Super Giants with caution on Tuesday. The hosts are eager to end their largely disappointing campaign on a high note. The recent defeats of the Gujarat Titans have provided a golden opportunity for the third-placed RCB to secure a top-two finish for the first time since. The top two teams compete in Qualifier 1, with the winner advancing to the final and the loser moving on to Qualifier 2 to face the winner of the eliminator, which is contested by the third and fourth-place finishers. RCB, who have 17 points, have little room for error. A win is essential as either Mumbai Indians (16 points) or Punjab Kings (17 points) are poised to overtake Gujarat Titans (18 points) after their match later today. Before the league’s 10-day break due to the India-Pakistan military conflict, RCB were in excellent form, winning four consecutive matches. However, the break seems to have disrupted their momentum. Since the restart, RCB experienced a rain-out and then suffered a 42-run defeat to Sunrisers Hyderabad. Their last win was on May 3, and their rustiness was apparent against SRH. “We were rusty. The intensity wasn’t there initially… In the death (overs), we were bowling more accurately,” stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma acknowledged after that loss. The return of Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood has boosted morale in the RCB camp. Hazlewood has been the standout performer for the team this season, with 18 wickets in 10 matches, currently ranking fourth among the tournament’s leading wicket-takers. RCB will also benefit from their familiarity with the conditions, having played their last match at the Ekana Stadium. However, defeating Lucknow Super Giants will be challenging. The hosts are confident after their dominant performance against the Gujarat Titans in their previous match. The overseas trio of Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, and Nicholas Pooran, who have been the franchise’s biggest asset this season, dismantled GT’s bowling to score 235/2. The bowling unit also impressed, showing what their campaign could have been without multiple injuries. The addition of Will O’Rourke, replacing the injured Mayank Yadav, has been a positive move. Spinner Digvesh Rathi, one of LSG’s finds of the season, will return for the clash after serving his one-match suspension for animated send-offs. Nevertheless, inconsistency has marred their season, a fact skipper Rishabh Pant acknowledged. “We talk about playing good cricket, and we’ve shown on occasion that we can do that. There were times in the tournament where we had our chances but didn’t take them — it’s part and parcel of the game,” Pant said last week. Teams (from): Royal Challengers Bangalore: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Mayank Agarwal, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh. Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (wk/captain), Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, David Miller, Shardul Thakur, Avesh Khan, Akash Deep, Digvesh Rathi, Ravi Bishnoi, Prince Yadav, Shahbaz Ahmed, Matthew Breetzke, Himmat Singh, Shamar Joseph, Manimaran Siddharth, Aryan Juyal, RS Hangargekar, Yuvraj Chaudhary, Akash Maharaj Singh, Arshin Kulkarni. Match starts at 7:30 pm IST.