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WHAT’S AT STAKE
RCB: Virat Kohli’s men need a victory to confirm their playoffs berth with a win against Punjab Kings (PBKS). At this point Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have 14 points from 11 games. 16 points will ensure that none of the four teams will be available to catch-up with them and succeed to the playoffs on the basis of better net run rate.
PBKS: Kings were finally able to finish the game while chasing. A win against RCB will ensure that their playoffs chances stay afloat whereas a loss will almost knock them out of the tournament.
After a disappointing run in the first few matches played at UAE, RCB finally broke the shackles with two wins in their last two games.
Their batting used to rely heavily on their skipper Kohli and AB de Villiers but this season they have got a massive boost in the form of Glean Maxwell. Devdutt Padikkal has also continued his last season’s form at the top of the order.
In their last match, RCB had used rookie George Garton, who had made his debut in place of Kiwi all-rounder Kyle Jamieson. Despite conceding 30 runs in three overs, Garton is expected to get another chance against PBKS, as RCB would not want to tinker with the winning combination. Furthermore, a single win from here will put them at 16 points, allowing them to experiment in the next two games before the playoffs.
PBKS, on the other hand, are back on track after a five-wicket win against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) despite missing the services of Chris Gayle.
Kings' next two games will be a case of "go big or go home," as they can only offer themselves the best opportunity if they win both bouts. Even if they win both of their remaining league games, they will not be guaranteed a spot in the playoffs until and unless there is a massive spike in their net run rate.
From the past few games, it appears Kings have finally found the proper bowling combination with Indian bowlers including Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami and Ravi Bishnoi living up to the expectations. However, Nathan Ellis has not been inconsistent whereas Fabian Allen is yet to prove himself.
Mayank Agarwal, Shahrukh Khan’s return worked out well for them in the previous game, thus Mandeep Singh and Harpreet Brar may warm the benches again. Mandeep may get a chance if Kings decide to leave out an out-of-form Hooda who has scored just 45 runs from five games.
Skipper Rahul’s numbers against RCB will give Kings’ hope ahead of the game. The opener has scored 284 runs against RCB in the previous three games and has not been dismissed even once. He scored a half-century in Kings’ win over KKR. He has a chance to maintain his good record against RCB tonight as well.
