In the 60th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and the Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be locking horns with each other at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The fact that RCB has yet to play at their full potential, still they have managed to win seven games out of 12 matches must be terrifying for the other teams. In their most recent encounter, RCB registered o a 67-run win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, improving their net run rate.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings have been struggling in the tournament so far as they managed to register just five victories from 11 games, their playoff dream keeps blurring with every loss as they are placed at the eighth place in the points table. Even after posting a good total on the board in their last game, PBKS failed to defend against the Rajasthan Royals RR.
ALSO READ: Match 60 (RCB vs PBKS) – Probable XI And Fantasy XI
The last time that these two teams faced each other, Faf Du Plessis, Virat Kohli, and Virat Karthik had played brilliantly, but finishing touches from Odean Smith helped PBKS chase down a big target early in the competition. In the 29 meetings between the two sides in IPL so far, PBKS is leading the charts 13-16 against RCB in the head-to-head battles. In the last 5 meetings, however, it’s 4-1 in favor of PBKS.
While the game between the Royal Challengers Bangalore and the Punjab Kings promises to be an exciting one, The following 3 player battles will prove to be decisive in this contest.
#1 Faf du Plessis vs Kagiso Rabada
Faf du Plessis has been the most consistent batter for RCB in the IPL 2022 thus far. However, he may find it challenging to score runs off Kagiso Rabada’s bowling. The South African speedster has been making life difficult for the opposition batters in recent matches. He has scalped 18 wickets from 10 matches. He will be keen to dismiss Faf cheaply and give PBKS the upper hand in the contest.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan vs Wanindu Hasaranga
Shikhar Dhawan is the leading run-getter for the Punjab Kings this season as he has amassed 381 runs in 11 innings at an average of 42.33. Wanindu Hasaranga, meanwhile, is the second-highest wicket-taker in the tournament so far with 21 wickets in 12 matches, including a 5-wicket haul in the last game. Faf du Plessis may introduce Hasaranga into the attack early to send back Dhawan cheaply in today’s fixture. Hasaranga is in top form and could trouble the PBKS batter.
#3 Rahul Chahar vs Glenn Maxwell
Rahul Chahar has been doing well for PBKS so far as he has scalped 12 wickets in 11 matches, with his best bowling figures being 3/25 while his economy rate has been 7.86. RCB all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell has managed to score 193 runs in 9 matches this season, but he has been troubled by the leg-spinners. It will be interesting to see how he plays against Chahar today in the match against the Punjab Kings.
