Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are due to play two games on the trot against each other, once in Bengaluru and the second time in Mullanpur. Both teams are positioned at 3rd and 4th on the table. This means that the next few days can see the top four of the tournament getting heavily displaced depending upon who does better.
Both sides come off wins from their previous games. But Punjab’s win outweighs RCB’s, having defended the lowest total of the IPL to date. And all that just because one man sprung back to his form, Yuzvendra Chahal, at their home venue. That is where the RCB would find themselves lacking. They have not experienced anything resembling home advantage at all. Both of their defeats have come at their home venue. In their defense, they were asked to defend the total at Chinnaswamy Stadium on both instances. However, their disadvantage at home is something that has prevailed a large part of their history.
But regardless of whatever caused that, they would need to put their home woes in leash. And should they be able to do it, they will storm right to the top position with ten points, and potentially a better NRR than Delhi Capitals (DC).
Team Overview:
RCB let go of Glenn Maxwell after his middling season last year, and he was accepted by Punjab Kings. However, he has not been able to live up to the expectations the franchise had on him. He has scored only 41 runs across six innings. PBKS could look past him by persisting with Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis, but the pair have not proved themselves either. Regardless of the abysmal form of the middle order, PBKS’s top order has flourished throughout the tournament. The combination of young openers with a sane mind like Shreyas Iyer’s at No. 3 gives them all the stability they want from the top of the lineup. Marco Jansen seems to have finally habituated to the conditions, which brings plenty of glad tidings for Punjab. If he keeps getting sufficient support from Yuzvendra Chahal and Arshdeep Singh, as the senior front-line bowlers, Shreyas Iyer would heave a sigh of relief.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar said he forgot he was allowed to use saliva, and he will be looking to use that to his favour in this game. RCB’s bowling has been pretty decent in the tournament so far. Josh Hazlewood, Krunal Pandya, and Yash Dayal have all done a good job with the ball. But only in away games. Their form has surged woefully in home games. For instance, Hazlewood averages 13.25 in away games and a staggering 83 in two home games he rolled his arm in. The difference between home and away averages of batters has been pretty much the same. They will need to find a solution for this before it’s too late for them to find their way back.
Head-to-Head record:
PBKS and RCB have been neck and neck with each other in the 33 IPL games they have played so far. RCB have won 16 out of these games, while PBKS had an edge over them in 17 games.
Weather and Pitch Report:
Bengaluru has seen rainy evenings coming frequently lately, and there is a fear that the game might see some disruptions because of the weather. In this season, the venue has not acted either like a true belter nor did it dish out spicy wickets. It offered a fair contest between both bat and ball. Teams went at something around 9 runs per over in both games played here. If rain permits, we are up for a good game of cricket at this venue, offering assistance to both bowlers and batters.
Prediction:
Rajat Patidar does not fancy going to Mullanpur with his side’s home losing streak still intact, but RCB face two of the worst oppositions in this game: PBKS and their own home venue, which could really mean the opposite might happen to Patidar’s side.
Where to Watch:
India: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar
UK: Sky Sports, SkyGo
USA: Willow TV
Australia: Kayo TV, FoxTel Go
Bangladesh: T Sports, Toffee app
New Zealand: Sky Sports NZ
Afghanistan: ATN
South Africa: SuperSport
Sri Lanka: Dialog
MENA: Cricbuzz
