RCB VS PBKS
Match Preview
Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings meet in Match 48 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season on Sunday. The match will be played at Sharjah Cricket Stadium with a lot at stake for both teams. A win for RCB will help secure a berth in the playoffs while Punjab Kings desperately need a victory to stay in top four contention. Both teams come into the match at the back of contrasting wins. RCB coasted to victory over Rajasthan Royals in their previous game while PBKS registered a nervy win against Kolkata Knight Riders.
After a slow start to life in the UAE leg, RCB have hit some form with Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell impressing with the bat. The bowling department is being led by current Purple Cap holder Harshal Patel with spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also making big contributions.
RCB had lost their opening two matches of the UAE leg but have registered two consecutive victories to steal a march over the others in the race for the playoffs.
And both wins came against strong opposition in Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals. The convincing victories helped Virat Kohli's team improve their net run-rate, which at one time was worst in the league.
Punjab Kings too go into the match on the back of a win. They beat high-flying KKR by five wickets, chasing down a tricky target with three balls to spare. PBKS are currently fifth in the points table with 10 points, same number of points as three other teams (KKR, Rajasthan Royals and Mumbai Indians).
A win will be crucial to PBKS' cause but there is a lot that needs sorting. While KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have made a habit out of giving their team brilliant starts, PBKS' middle-order hasn't really fired.
Key Players to Watch/Key Stats
Punjab Kings
KL Rahul: The stylish opener’s conservative approach in the last couple of seasons has been one of the biggest talking points, but one thing no one can deny is his Consistency. He scored yet another 50 in the last game and the Karnataka lad loves batting against his home franchise. In 9 innings, he has scored 460 runs at an average of 92 and a strike rate of 155.4 with three 50+ scores and a hundred.
Mayank Agarwal: With Rahul playing the anchor role, Mayank, courtesy of his intentful batting, has proved to be the real MVP with the bat for his side.
Agarwal has scored 202 runs in 9 innings against RCB at an average of 22.4. However, he is coming off a brilliant 27-ball 40 in the last game and his record at Sharjah read: 161 runs in 4 innings at 40.2 and a strike rate of 176.9 with one hundred.
Shah Rukh Khan: The hard-hitting batsman smashed an unbeaten 9-ball 22 in the last game and he could well prove to be the clincher for his team if it boils down to a tricky situation at the death.
Ravi Bishnoi: The young leg-spinner claimed 2/22 in four overs in the last game and has taken a total of 11 wickets in 7 games this season.
His record against RCB: 5 wickets in three games at an average of 15.6 and an economy rate of 7.09.
Arshdeep Singh: The young left-arm seamer has turned out to be a revelation for the Punjab Kings. In 10 games, he has claimed 16 wickets with three of them coming in the last game.
His record in Sharjah: 2 wickets in 3 games. He has played just 1 game against RCB in which he registered figures of 1/20.
Probable XI
KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Fabian Allen, Chris Jordan/Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
Virat Kohli: The skipper may have scored a couple of half centuries in the UAE leg but he hasn’t looked at his flamboyant best, especially against the spinners.
His record vs PBKS: 716 runs in 26 innings at 27.53 at a strike rate of 127.85. His record at Sharjah: 221 runs in 6 innings at an average of 55.2 and a strike rate of 125.6 with one 50+ score.
Devdutt Padikkal: The young southpaw has endured a couple of average outings following his 50-ball 70 against CSK and he will be looking to once again notch up a big score.
His record at Sharjah: 125 runs in 4 innings at an average of 31.2 and a strike rate of 134.4 with one 50+ score.
Glenn Maxwell: The swashbuckler has notched up back-to-back match-winning half-centuries- 56 (37) vs MI, 50* (30) vs RR- and he will be looking to make it three in a row against his former franchise.
He managed a golden duck in his last outing against PBKS earlier this season. Maxwell’s record at Sharjah: 208 runs in 4 innings at an average of 69.3 and a strike rate of 196.2 with two 50+ scores.
AB de Villiers: He may have had a poor time in the UAE leg thus far but expect the champion cricket to storm back in the upcoming games.
His record against Punjab: 710 runs in 22 innings at an average of 32.27 and a strike rate of 158.8. De Villiers has batted 5 times in Sharjah, scoring 122 runs at an average of 30.5 and a strike rate of 143.5.
Harshal Patel: The leading wicket-taker of the ongoing season, Harshal has bamboozled one and all with his deadly slower ball.
He claimed three wickets in the last game and a hat-trick prior to that. With the pitch in Sharjah expected to be sluggish, the seamer could once again be in business at the backend.
Yuzvendra Chahal: The Haryana leggie seems to have regained his mojo in the UAE leg. He claimed a match-winning 3-wicket haul against MI and backed it up with an equally good performance against Rajasthan- 2/18 in four overs.
His record vs Punjab: 22 wickets in 15 games. He has claimed 7 wickets in 6 outings in Sharjah at an average of 18.9 and an economy rate of 5.91.
Probable XI
Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dan Christian, Wanindu Hasaranga/George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Stats and Facts
Both sides have locked horns 27 times with Punjab leading the ledger 15-12.
Punjab have won each of their last three fixtures against RCB including their previous encounter in Sharjah last year.
Yuzvendra Chahal (22) has the most wickets in PBKS-RCB fixtures.
Pitch Report
Another low-scorer on the relaid Sharjah wicket even though the heavy roller has been on overtime duty trying to extract some life from the pitch. The average first innings score in four games here is 135.
final Team here
No comments:
Post a Comment