In the 26th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be locking horns with the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday. RCB has won matches out of the six they have played so far. AB de Villiers has been the talk of the town as he has been playing a crucial role in their last couple of wins. With their bowling finally impressing this season, the RCB look set for a playoff berth in IPL 2021.
However, RCB will be expecting Virat Kohli and Yuzvendra Chahal to get their respective forms back sooner than later. The duo is yet to hit the ground running in IPL 2021. RCB will face a decent Punjab Kings side who have blown hot and cold this season. With just a couple of wins in the six games in IPL 2021, the Punjab Kings are looking to get their campaign back on track. While KL Rahul has continued his fine form as an opener, the others haven’t performed consistently.
ALSO READ: Quinton De Kock, Rahul Chahar End MI’s Losing Run With A Win Over RR
The onus will be on Mohammed Shami and youngster Arshdeep Singh to fulfill the bowling responsibilities of putting brakes on the likes of AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, and Glenn Maxwell. Although both teams look well-matched on paper, RCB will having an edge ahead of the game. However, Punjab Kings have shown signs of improvement in the last few games, and they can’t be taken lightly. With two valuable points up for grabs, the fans will be expecting a cracker of a game at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Going into the crucial game, PBKS doesn’t have any injury concerns. As far as the playing XI is concerned, Dawid Malan’s calm and collected batting could come into the equation. However, they will need to find a way to pull the brakes on AB de Villiers, and they will be tempted to included Murugan Ashwin. However, with Ashwin finding himself out of favor, the onus would be likely on Ravi Bishnoi to take on de Villiers.
Probable XI: KL Rahul (c, wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Dawid Malan/Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan/Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.
Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
RCB has already roped in Scott Kuggeleijn to mitigate the loss of Kane Richardson and the team will be worried about the current form of skipper Virat Kohli. From their point of view, they could employ Washington Sundar’s off-spin to keep KL Rahul quiet. Another interesting match-up will be between Mayank Agarwal and Yuzvendra Chahal, with the former accumulating 56 off just 27 balls against the leg-spinner in the IPL.
Probable XI: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Washngton Sundar, Daniel Sams, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Siraj.
Fantasy Suggestion #1:
KL Rahul (c), Nicholas Pooran, Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli (vc), Glenn Maxwell, Deepak Hooda, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Fantasy Suggestion #2:
Nicholas Pooran, AB de Villiers, Chris Gayle (vc), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Washington Sundar, Harshal Patel, Kyle Jamieson, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi
