The 12th man is a generic term used in football to describe the impact of the crowd on the game as if there was another player on the field.
For instance, if you visit Westfalenstadion -- the home ground of Borussia Dortmund -- in Germany, you will find a sea of black and yellow encapsulating the entire stadium. They have one of the most passionate fan bases in the world. Around 80,000 crazy fans create an intimidating atmosphere and that's why it's one of the toughest places to play for the opposition.
From left - James Faulkner, Shane Watson, Ajinkya Rahane. Sportzpics
This kind of support not only creates an electric atmosphere but also boosts the confidence of the home team. The same applies in cricket. During the recently concluded World Cup in Australia/New Zealand, India had massive fan following and the tricolour filled the stadiums of Australia. India's captain MS Dhoni repeatedly asserted how the crowd support helped them throughout the tournament.
Australian skipper Michael Clarke asked the fans to #GoGold as well and so did New Zealand skipper Brendon McCullum. Anything that can boost the morale of the team is welcome.
As Rajasthan Royals go into the tournament searching for consistency, an uphill task awaits them. For the second year running, they won't get to play their home matches in their primary home ground - The Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur as the Rajasthan Cricket Association has been suspended by BCCI.
Rajasthan Royals have always punched above their weight but their biggest weak link has been their consistency. After winning the title in the inaugural season, they finished 6th in 2009, 7th in 2010, 6th in 2011, 7th in 2012, they made it to the qualifiers in 2013 and in 2014 they finished 5th.
Two of their best seasons were 2008 and 2013. In both those seasons, the major reason behind their success was their home ground. They did not lose a single match at home in both the seasons. In 2008, they won all seven home matches and lost three away, while in 2013, they won all eight home matches and lost six away. In the same season they reached the finals of the Champions League T20 and the secret of their success was their fortress where they won six out of eight home games.
Over the years, Jaipur has become their fortress.
But last season, they didn't play any home game in Jaipur because of the legal battle between BCCI and the RCA. They had a roller-coaster ride in the UAE leg where they won three and lost two and they were inconsistent in their adopted home - Ahmedabad - where they won two and lost two and failed to qualify for the play-offs.
Playing at home ground makes a lot of difference - the knowledge of pitch, conditions, ground dimensions and outfield gives an upper hand to the home teams. And then there are the fans. Will fans in Mumbai/Ahmedabad cheer for Rajasthan in the same way as they would in Jaipur?
Last year in an interview with ESPNCricinfo, Rajasthan Royals' head coach emphasised the importance of playing on home ground. "One of the things that works for us is we have a slightly more intimate knowledge of our pitch, dimension of the field, length of the boundaries and which is the bigger boundary," Upton said. "We have slightly better knowledge of that compared to what the visiting team has. I wouldn't call it a game breaker but that helps us in how we put up our strategy against the opposition."
Rajasthan Royals have been prolific at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, they have a staggering win percentage of 72.73, having won 24 of the 33 matches in the IPL. They won't be playing in Jaipur for the second successive year running and they have been allotted their home matches at Sardar Patel Stadium in Ahmedabad (four matches) and Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai (three matches) and this makes their task more arduous.
When Firstpost asked team mentor Rahul Dravid whether not playing in Jaipur will be a crucial factor, his reply didn't betray any anxiety.
"We are playing at home. We consider Ahmedabad and Bombay as home now. Obviously we miss [Jaipur] at a certain level. Jaipur was a place where we did very well and it was a ground we were very familiar with," Dravid said at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.
"I think the fact that we played in Ahmedabad last year should really help us. Last year lot of us went in to Ahmedabad quite cold. There was a tournament in Dubai as well, so it felt like we were playing all the 14 games away from home. This year it's a bit different. We have had a small camp in Ahmadabad, we have been there last year." he added.
Being a Mumbaikar, Ajinkya Rahane has had the experience of playing at the Brabourne stadium but even he considers that Royals will have to start from zero at the venue.
"I have played good amount of matches at the Brabourne Stadium, I've played Mumbai Ranji Trophy matches and club cricket so I have an idea of the conditions and the wicket but when we start playing here, we'll have to start from zero. My routine will be the same and will play according to the situation and demand on the day," Rahane said.
Dravid, however, was optimistic, "We are more used to the conditions at Brabourne as well. It is a terrific ground to play cricket. It's great venue and we are looking forward to playing here. Everyone is very excited to playing here at the CCI and opportunity to play at this great ground," he said.
During the IPL, each team has a massive fan following. You can hear deafening chants of RCB.....RCB at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, the Wankhede supporters get behind the Mumbai Indians players in rhythmic tone with chants of Maalinga, Maalinga, there are the 'whislte podu' chants at the M. A. Chidambaram Stadium.
Last season, Mumbai Indians were in tatters at the start of the season having lost the first five matches of the UAE leg but the scripted a dramatic turnaround winning four out of five matches at the Wankhede Stadium to reach the play-offs.
Rajasthan Royals might be optimistic about their chances but without the crowd, the challenge will be doubly difficult. If in case, they adjust to Ahmadabad at the start, they will have to start all over again in the second half as they would shift base to Mumbai which won't help their cause.
Rajasthan have a balanced squad this time around but the absence of home advantage might prove to be fatal for their title chances.
