RCB vs PBKS: The 15th edition of the Indian Premier League has already reached its business edge. And almost all the matches are must-win contests for the teams. So far, only the Mumbai Indians have been eliminated from the competition, and only the Gujarat Titans have qualified for the playoffs. That leaves three positions open, with eight teams competing.
The next fixture of the TATA IPL 2022 will see Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings. The match will start at 7:30 pm on Friday at the Brabourne Stadium. RCB needs this win to secure a place in the top four as they already have 14 points. On the other hand, for PBKS, this is a must-win game. A loss in this match will be the end of the tournament. So let’s check out the complete match details and possible XI for both teams.
RCB vs PBKS: Match Preview and Prediction
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Faf du Plessis and his team are in a really good position at the moment after winning the last two matches against SRH and CSK. They are sitting in the fourth spot with 14 points and two more games to play. And after the RR loss to DC, the chances of RCB have brightened more. If they win both of their games, they will finish second in the league, giving them an extra chance in the playoffs.
However, if they win one only, they will have to make sure that the loss in another match is not too big. Because that will affect their NRR, which can cause panic although they are in good form. Both the batting and bowling departments are doing good jobs. The only worry is Virat Kohli, but we hope that he will be back in form before the knockout games.
Probably XI: Faf du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Shahabaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (Wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj.
Punjab Kings
Punjab were in a really good position before their match against Rajasthan Royals. But they ended up on the losing side against RR, which has dented their chances for qualification. Although nothing has gone yet, they can still make it to the top four. But they need to win their remaining three matches to give themselves a chance of qualification. But that will not be easy, as their next three opponents are RCB, DC, and SRH.
But there are some positives for them from the last game. Jonny Bairstow scored his first half-century of the season. Bhanuka Rajaspaksa and Jitesh Sharma also have some runs under their belts. So they can take confidence from these performances and go into the match against RCB. They just need their star players to perform.
Probably XI: Mayank Agarwal (C), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (Wk), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Sandeep Sharma, Arshdeep Singh.
RCB vs PBKS Match, Pitch and Toss Update
The Brabourne Stadium is a high-scoring ground. The average score here is around 175+. However, it also provides help to the bowlers. The pacer will get the assistance at the start, and the spinner will come into play later in the game. Batsmen can trust the bounce and play their shots from the crease. Overall, it is a complete pitch that offers help to everyone. However, dew might come into play and bowlers will find it hard to grip the ball in the second innings. The toss will be crucial for both teams. And the team winning the toss will go for the chase. Toss might be another factor for the win. Of the last 11 matches on this ground, five have been won batting first, and the rest six batting second.
RCB vs PBKS Head to Head
Both teams have met a total of 29 times in the history of the IPL. But PBKS is ahead of RCB in terms of wins. So far, Punjab Kings have won 16 matches, as compared to RCB’s 13 wins. Punjab also won the last match between the two earlier this season.
IPL 2022: RCB vs PBKS: Players to watch out for
Faf du Plessis will have the responsibility of leading their team to the playoffs, and for that he needs to make some runs. He is already in good form and is coming off a good half-century in the last match against SRH. The RCB skipper has scored 389 runs at an average of 35.36, including three half-centuries.
Wanindu Hasaranga is coming off a five-wicket haul against SRH. And he is two wickets behind from taking the lead in the race for the “Purple Cap”. So he will be looking to take a few more wickets. So far, the leg-spinner has taken 21 wickets in 12 matches.
Shikhar Dhawan had an average game against RR. He will be looking to make the most of this opportunity. Against RCB, his numbers are good. The veteran also scored 43 runs in the last match both teams played.
Arshdeep Singh will be the bowler PBKS will look for. He is very good with his slower ones and change-ups at the end. He also had a good game against RR, where he took two wickets for just 29.
IPL 2022: Predicted 11 team of the match Prediction
Wicket-keeper: Jonny Bairstow (PBKS)
Batsmen: Virat Kohli (RCB), Faf Du Plessis (RCB), Shikhar Dhawan (PBKS), Bhanuka Rajapaksa (PBKS)
All-rounders: Glenn Maxwell (RCB), Liam Livingstone (PBKS), Shahbaz Ahmed (RCB)
Bowlers: Josh Hazlewood (RCB), Kagiso Rabada (PBKS), Arshdeep Singh (PBKS)
Tips: Jonny Bairstow or Shikhar Dhawan will be the captain of the team. Faf du Plessis or Glenn Maxwell will be the vice-captain. Both teams are fighting for the playoffs, but stats suggest that PBKS has the upper hand over RCB. So we will back Punjab Kings to win the match. However, the team winning the toss might win the game as well.