Despite the current form of the two sides, this match can potentially be a nail-biter and Virat Kohli’s men might just have their work cut out.
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Match 26 of this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL) will see title contenders Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) who sit at second place in the points table face a struggling Punjab Kings (PBKS) side who are currently at sixth. RCB emerged victorious in their previous encounter against the Delhi Capitals (DC), as they edged out Rishabh Pant’s men winning the game by one run. PBKS, on the other hand, were subjected to defeat by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) by a substantial margin. On paper, it seems that the contest can have only one winner. However, PBKS have proven this season that they can beat the title challengers, as they beat defending champions Mumbai Indians (MI) already. When it comes to head-to-head statistics, Punjab hold a slight edge over Bangalore as they have won 14 out of 26 games against them. Despite their current form, this match can potentially be a nail-biter and Kohli’s men might just have their work cut out for them.
Here are the predicted starting lineups for PBKS vs RCB:
KL Rahul (Captain, WK): The PBKS skipper has had a good tournament so far, barring the game against KKR, and he will look to regain his terrific form and get back in contention for the Orange Cap, against RCB.
Mayank Agarwal: Mayank played a long, yet slow knock against the Knight Riders, as he made 31 runs off 34 deliveries. His form is crucial to PBKS and they will be reliant on him and his skipper to get off to a good start.
Chris Gayle: The Universe Boss might have scored a duck against KKR, but he has been in a good vein of form this season. Gayle has already shown just how dangerous he can be and PBKS will be dependent on his explosive batting.
Deepak Hooda: Not quite successful with the bat against KKR, Hooda contributed with the ball. The all-rounder took one wicket on his spell and concede 20 runs in the process.
Nicholas Pooran: After a dismal start to the campaign, Pooran finally got some runs on the board against KKR, but it was not at a good pace. He made 19 runs off 19 deliveries.
Moises Henriques: The Australian only bowled one over in which he conceded 5 runs and also picked up a wicket. He was, however, quite unimpressive with the bat.
Shahrukh Khan: Despite underperforming in the previous game, Shahrukh has had a pretty good season for a debutante. His explosive batting down the order has often helped PBKS reach defendable totals.
Chris Jordan: The English pacer was finally given a chance to start for PBKS and he did not disappoint. He scored a crucial cameo of 30 runs off 18 deliveries in the previous game but was unsuccessful with the ball.
Ravi Bishnoi: The spinner might not have picked a wicket in his spell but he was PBKS’ most economical bowler. He bowled four overs and conceded only 19 runs against KKR.
Mohammed Shami: Shami bowled a good spell as he conceded only 25 runs in his four overs and picked up one wicket against the Knight Riders.
Arshdeep Singh: Arshdeep also proved quite expensive against KKR as he conceded 27 runs in 2.4 overs. However, he did bag one wicket.
Virat Kohli (Captain): Kohli did not have a good performance with the bat against DC, but his form this season has been terrific. The RCB side will be hoping that their skipper gets amongst the runs against PBKS.
Devdutt Padikkal: The youngster also did not have a good game against DC, but he has proven that he can hang with the highest quality players in the tournament. He has already scored a century this season and will look to repeat the feat.
Rajat Patidar: Patidar has been in and out of the RCB lineup this season, but he played a decent cameo against DC as he scored 31 runs off 22 deliveries.
Glenn Maxwell: The Aussie has been in fine form this season, and has been RCB’s most consistent performer. He also played an explosive cameo against DC as he scored 25 runs off 20 deliveries.
AB de Villiers (WK): The South African was at his explosive best against the Capitals. His innings proved to be the difference-maker as he made 75 runs off 42 deliveries. The knock included five maximums.
Washington Sundar: Sundar might not have picked a wicket against DC, but he was fairly economical as he conceded 28 runs in his four overs. He will look to get amongst the runs this time around as well.
Daniel Sams: Sams only bowled two overs and conceded 15 runs. The all-rounder will look to get a few wickets and some runs under his belt this time around.
Kyle Jamieson: Jamieson might have bowled an expensive spell that saw him concede 32 runs in four overs, but he did pick the wicket of the dangerous Shikhar Dhawan.
Harshal Patel: The pacer further solidified his place at the helm of the highest wicket-takers list as he picked up two wickets in his four overs for 37 runs.
Yuzvendra Chahal: The leg-spinner only bowled two overs and did not pick up a wicket, but he was economical and conceded 10 runs.
Mohammed Siraj: Siraj proved to be very expensive against DC as he gave away 44 runs in four overs. He did however send the explosive Steve Smith back to the pavilion.
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