RCB vs PBKS – The 48th match of the fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League is set to be played between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Punjab Kings. The match will be held at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the United Arab Emirates and shall begin at 03:30 pm of the Indian Standard Time. No in-person attendance shall be allowed for this match owing to pandemic restrictions. It can be viewed live on the Star Sports network and the Hotstar app.
The fourteenth edition of the Indian Premier League had begun in India in March 2021 but had to be stopped midway through owing to the spread of the pandemic. The second leg of the tournament is taking place in the United Arab Emirates and is having a great run so far. This match will be a crucial match for both the teams and thus might see a very tight, nerve-wracking contest between the two. Let us have a further look at the details of this game.
The Two Teams
The two teams have extremely talented players and have been playing well this time. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have long been hailed as a team that is extremely capable but it has not won the trophy yet in the history of the tournament. The same would be applicable for the Punjab Kings. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have played 11 matches in which they have won 7 and lost 4. Currently, they have 14 points and are placed third in the points table. The Punjab Kings have played a total of 12 matches in which they won 5 and lost 7. They have 10 points and are placed fifth.
Therefore, RCB would be aiming at cementing its spot while the Punjab Kings would be looking to qualify for the playoffs, although the chances look a bit difficult at the moment. The Royal Challengers are in high spirits after securing a 7 wicket win over the Rajasthan Royals recently. Among the batsmen, Glenn Maxwell and Srikar Bharat played a crucial role in reaching the target. Bowling first, they restricted the Royals to 149 as Harshal Patel picked up 3 wickets and Chahal and Shahbaz Ahmed got 2 scalps each.
The Punjab Kings too have won their last match against the Kolkata Knight Riders and have been hoping to qualify for the playoffs. The Kolkata Knight Riders batted first, and put up a score of 167/5. Arshdeep Singh, who picked up 3 wickets and Ravi Bishnoi who got the key wickets, were in fine form. The chase was made easier by the contributions of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, both of whom have been in fine form.
RCB vs PBKS Squad News
Both the teams are quite confident at the moment as many of their players are in good shape. The Royal Challengers Bangalore have both batsmen and bowlers who seem to be in good form. Glenn Maxwell has been in very good form and has been leading scorer among all the RCB batsmen after having scored 350 runs from 10 matches. One should also look out for the likes of Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers, who are touted as two of the best players in the world.
Among the bowlers, Harshal Patel and Arshdeep Singh seem to be fine shape. Patel has gotten 26 wickets over 11 matches and has best figure of 5/26. The Punjab Kings also have multiple in form players. Both Mayank Agarwal and KL Rahul seem to be in good shape and the latter has also been performing very well as the wicket-keeper. Among the bowlers, Arshdeep Singh has been in great form and has picked up 16 wickets from 10 matches in this edition of the tournament.
RCB vs PBKS Probable Playing XIs
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Shahbaz Ahmed, Kyle Jamieson/George Garton Virat Kohli (c), Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Devdutt Padikkal, Kona, Daniel Christian, Yuzvendra Chahal, Srikar Bharat (w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers
Punjab Kings: Lokesh Rahul (c & wk), Fabian Allen/Moises Henriques, Nathan Ellis, Mohammad Shami, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Deepak Hooda, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Shahrukh Khan
Pitch Report
The pitch is known for favoring seamers, which is quite unlike other T20 pitches. Playing shots is actually a bit difficult on this pitch and it is a question of whether the batsmen would be able to adapt enough. The two teams have faced each other for a total of 27 times in the history of the tournament among which the Punjab King have won 15 times and the Royal Challengers have won 12 games.
Conclusion
It is extremely difficult to predict who will win this match. This is a match between two teams which have been in terrific form in the last few matches. This match is surely going to be a great contest and a display of good, engaging cricket.
