IPL 2022, PBKS vs RCB: Punjab Kings to face Royal Challengers Bangalore in quest for playoff spot

Mumbai: Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be facing Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) in quest for the Indian Premier League playoff spot at the Brabourne Stadium on Friday.

Punjab are in eighth place with 10 points, while Bangalore are in fourth position with 14 points.

After a six-wicket loss against Rajasthan Royals in their previous outing, PBKS will look to seal a much-needed win against RCB. However with their massive 67-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad, RCB would look to continue their good form and strengthen their position in the top-four of the standings.

For Kings, Shikhar Dhawan is in excellent form but he will need to set up a strong opening wicket stand with Jonny Bairstow. Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Liam Livingstone can push scores in the middle order. Bowling-wise, Sandeep Sharma and Kagiso Rabada can inflict early wickets in the powerplay with new ball. Arshdeep Singh has been a consistent performer for the team.

RCB would expect Virat Kohli to score big. Faf du Plessis will be looking to give a fiery start. Rajat Patidar is in good form and would aim to build partnerships with Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik in the middle order. Shahbaz Ahmed and Mahipal Lomror could bring firepower down the order.

Pacer Mohammad Siraj and Wanindu Hasaranga have been the most consistent bowlers for the side. The likes of Harshal Patel, Lomror, and Shahbaz will add extra depth with their variety in the bowling attack.

Teams:

Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (c), Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shahrukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odean Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Writtick Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Benny Howell.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorff, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Aneeshwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar, Siddharth Kaul. (UNI)