Royal Challengers Bangalore cross swords with Punjab Kings in an exciting mid-week doubleheader

In a rare occurrence as part of IPL 2023, a midweek doubleheader will be on display come Thursday as Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) go head-on against the Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the PCA Stadium in Mohali. 

This is an extremely crucial fixture for RCB as they will be desperate to find their third win of the tournament after slumping down to the Chennai Super Kings in a high-octane encounter. Faf du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell knitted a 126-run partnership for the 3rd wicket as RCB kept on hacking away at the Chennai bowlers, only to fall short in the dying embers and that too by just an 8-run margin.

Punjab, on the contrary, will be a slightly more confident side as they secured their third win to put an end to a losing rut. In another thrilling contest against the Lucknow Super Giants, the Punjab Kings managed to bag a last-moment win and that too by the barest margin of two wickets.

This contest will feature two sides who will be keen to put their best foot forward and register an important win. The RCB top-order is in imperious form while Mohammed Siraj has been the pick of the lot among the bowlers. With the impending return of Josh Hazlewood, RCB could find themselves in good stead if the seasoned Australian indeed makes the playing XI.

Venue Watch

Mohali has always been touted as a balanced surface where the batters and the bowlers have made merry in equal proportions. But then again as it is a day game featuring RCB and PBKS, things tend to change. We can expect a run-fest adorning the ground as a slew of hard hitters comprises both sides. By nature, the Mohali pitch is known to assist the seamers, and that is expected to remain the same.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Faf du Plessis vs Sam Curran

Faf du Plessis is in terrific form as he currently holds the Orange Cap with a staggering haul of 259 runs at an unreal average of 64.75. He has been taking the bowlers head-on from the word go and his commitment in the last game where he copped a serious blow onto his rib and yet went on to perform makes the RCB skipper one of the most formidable contenders in the rivalry. Sam Curran has started the tournament well with five wickets already but a slightly higher economy that reads 8.52 RPO will need to change for the Englishman to have an impact against the RCB skipper.

Virat Kohli vs Kagiso Rabada

Virat Kohli endured a rare failure against CSK but the fact that he remains in the hunt for the Orange Cap with 220 runs from 5 games makes the star batter a vital part of RCB’s batting when they face off against Punjab. One of PBKS’ go-to bowlers will be Kagiso Rabada, and with the South African ace pacer’s ability to move the ball away at a searing pace, his battle with Kohli will be one to savour.

Mohammed Siraj vs Shikhar Dhawan

Mohammed Siraj has been in stunning form in the last three games where he has already claimed five wickets and has been bowling at an economy rate of 7.5. How Siraj bowls against PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan could well be one battle that can define the outcome of the game, given the southpaw has scored 233 runs and is in the race for the Orange Cap.

Match detail:

Match: Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore

Venue: Punjab Cricket Association Stadium, Mohali

Date: 19th April, 2023

Time: 3:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 30

RCB: 13

PBKS: 17

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

Faf Du Plessis (C), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Josh Hazlewood, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Suyash Prabhudessai, Karn Sharma, Siddharth Kaul, David Willey, Wayne Parnell, Himanshu Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, Sonu Yadav, Michael Bracewell, Vyshak Vijaykumar

Punjab Kings:

Shikhar Dhawan(c), Prabhsimran Singh(wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Matthew Short, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Atharva Taide, Mohit Rathee, Shivam Singh, Raj Bawa, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Kagiso Rabada, Baltej Singh.