RCB gear up for first home game of IPL 2024 as a King-sized challenge awaits from Punjab

The start to the tournament may have been a shaky one for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru but with the kind of firepower and stardust that they come to the fray with, Monday evening will be presenting them with a gilt-edged opportunity to redeem themselves.

RCB had a wobbling start in terms of their batting order, a leak that they will like to plug and with names like Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Cameron Green and Glenn Maxwell in the ranks, it won’t be too much of a problem. More importantly though, the homecoming is another reason why Bengaluru will be hopeful of turning the tide around in front of a packed house.

Punjab Kings had a rollicking start to their campaign and will be eyeing to continue similar momentum against RCB. The starry English duo of Sam Curran and Liam Livingstone got the job done for the Kings in their clash against Delhi Capitals. However, their bowling unit has been a slightly sloppy one and will need extra precaution when they arrive in the den of the Royal Challengers.

Venue Watch:

If it isn’t drastically changing, the surface at Chinnaswamy is known for its gargantuan assistance for the batters. Shorter boundaries and a pitch that has no demons will be the epicenter of what can be a swashbuckling run-fest. Batting second will have additional help considering the onset of dew.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Faf du Plessis vs Arshdeep Singh:

Faf got off to a brilliant start in the opener but couldn’t capitalize on the momentum as he fell for 35. However, that feisty start would be galvanizing him into further action as the RCB skipper will be eyeing greater heights. Arshdeep Singh has been an asset for Punjab Kings and the fact that he can very efficiently take the ball away from Faf is where this contest gets intriguing. Anything outside the channel and Faf goes looking for it, which is also not just his strength but a window of opportunity for Arshdeep to sneak one for his team.

Virat Kohli vs Rahul Chahar

Virat did get off to a start in the last game but apart from the crazy catch that dismissed him, he overall was in fine touch. Knowing Virat over the years, it is just a matter of time before the King gets going. Rahul Chahar’s quicker ones off the surface have been trouble for the batters. It goes without saying that he will possibly be coming for VK in the powerplay in all likelihood just to tempt Virat to go for the big ones, and the star batter will want nothing more than to pepper the ball into the stands.

Mohammed Siraj vs Jonny Bairstow

Despite the start being a forgettable one for Miyan, knowing the RCB quick, he loves to bounce back. With Jonny Bairstow eyeing the big shots, Siraj’s spell with the new ball will be critical. He is able to move the ball laterally and that is exactly where a hard-hitting Bairstow finds his match.

Match details:

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium

Date: 25th March, 2024

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 31

RCB: 14

PBKS: 17

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.

Punjab Kings:

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma(wk), Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Shivam Singh, Chris Woakes, Liam Livingstone, Rilee Rossouw, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Rishi Dhawan, Shashank Singh, Tanay Thyagarajan, Ashutosh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Prince Choudhary, Vishwanath Singh