RCB vs PBKS: Faf du Plessis-led Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will look to strengthen their playoff claim in the Indian Premier League (IPL) by registering a win over Punjab Kings on Friday.
The Bangalore team has caught the momentum at the right time, while Punjab’s performance has been full of ups and downs throughout the season. RCB have performed brilliantly in the last two matches which seems to have found their right combination.
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Except Kohli, all the batsmen of RCB are in excellent form :-
Except Virat Kohli, all the batsmen of RCB are in excellent form. Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror are also doing well in the form of captain Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik. Kohli hasn’t had a good IPL season so far but he will try to make up for it against Punjab.
RCB vs PBKS: RCB bowlers are also in excellent form :-
RCB’s bowlers have also been consistently performing well, including the in-form Josh Hazlewood and the reliable Harshal Patel. Mohammad Siraj is not in his best form but the team can expect him to perform well at crucial times.
Difficult to escape from Hasranga’s spin :-
Maxwell has proved useful with his off-spin in the powerplays and the middle overs while Wanindu Hasaranga has so far taken 21 wickets, including five in a match. If RCB beats Punjab, it will be 16 points, although 18 points is considered a safe number to reach the playoffs.
RCB vs PBKS: Bairstow is back in form :-
As far as Punjab is concerned, they will have to win their remaining three matches to make it to the top four team. They beat RCB in their first match but are now on 10 points from five wins. He has lost six matches. There is a lack of consistency in the Punjab team.
Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapakse are contributing well in the top order, while Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma are finishing the innings well. Jonny Bairstow’s return to form is good news for Punjab. Captain Mayank Agarwal has decided to enter the middle order but he needs to lead from the front.
Arshdeep effective in the death overs
In the bowling, Kagiso Rabada has taken 18 wickets so far but he has proved to be expensive. Sandeep Sharma has the ability to take wickets in the powerplay. Arshdeep Singh has bowled impressively.
Especially in the death overs where he has troubled the batsmen with his precise yorker. Despite having good players in the team, Punjab team falls apart at crucial times in which it has to improve as soon as possible.
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Probable playing 11 of both the teams :-
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj; Harshal Patel, Vanindu Hasranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror.
Punjab Kings
Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mayank Agarwal (captain), Jitesh Sharma Liam Livingstone, Rishi Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Sharma.
