The IPL 2024 has begun and it already gave us some nailbiters. And we might have more in the store as the Royal Challengers Bengaluru(RCB) set to face the Punjab Kings(PBKS) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bangalore on Monday. RCB began their tournament rather disappointingly with a heavy defeat against the defending champions Chennai Super Kings(CSK) at the Chepauk Stadium maintaining their record of being winless at the venue since 2008. Meanwhile, PBKS are coming on the back of an important victory at their new home stadium in Mohali against the Delhi Capitals(DC).
RCB will be looking to bounce back and start their home leg positively. RCB’s bowlers looked out of ideas against the CSK batters as they kept bowling short which worked briefly but soon the CSK batters found a way to counter them and got some easy runs. PBKS are coming from a fresh win and will be looking to carry on with the momentum with their bowling looking in great form.
Venue and Pitch Conditions
The Chinnaswamy Stadium has been a batting paradise with an average first-innings score of 166. Meanwhile, the average score last season was as high as 196 and nothing less is expected in this season.
The pitch at the venue has patchy grass covering, which has been a consistent feature in recent matches. Initially, it may appear sluggish and uneven, echoing the start of the India-Afghanistan clash just two months back. However, true to form, it’s likely to swiftly shift gears, returning to its characteristic nature. This venue has been a hotspot for T20 cricket, especially evident during the opening leg of the WPL. Brace yourself for a barrage of sixes, a trademark of this ground. Last year alone, an astonishing 134 maximums were sent soaring over the boundary ropes in seven games, averaging roughly one every two overs.
H2H: RCB 14 – 17 PBKS
Royal Challengers Bengaluru(RCB)
RCB’s bowling will be under the scanner after their woeful start to the season particularly at the Chinnaswamy which has not been a happy hunting ground for the home side winning just 39 matches from the 84 matches they played at this venue. Mohammed Siraj has to step up as the spearhead of the attack and RCB will be having high hopes for him. RCB’s batting will be on a high after the performances from the middle order and if the top order finds their feet Punjab will have a tough game ahead. Virat Kohli will be the key for the home side and he will be looking to get some runs under his belt. It would be interesting to see where Cameron Green bats, with most of his success in the shorter format coming in the top order. However, RCB used him at N0.5 in the previous game and might stick to that before making changes.
Punjab Kings(PBKS)
The Punjab Kings bowlers looked in great form barring that final over from Harshal Patel which went for 25 runs and will be looking to repeat the same against a formidable RCB batting line-up. It will be a homecoming for Harshal Patel who has been an integral part of the RCB setup in recent years and will be representing PBKS this season. Even the batting looks solid with contributions coming from every batsman. They will be hoping for their English trio of Bairstow, Curran, and Livingstone to carry on with the form they’ve shown in their opening game.
Probable XIIs
RCB: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Anuj Rawat (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Fantasy Picks
Faf du Plessis, Jonny Bairstow, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Cameron Green, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh.
Prediction
Punjab Kings might have the edge over the home side RCB. PBKS looks like a well-rounded side with more balance in the team and will be rooting for their Foreign brigade to do the heavy lifting. RCB has one of the best top 6 this season and would want them to go big and give their weaker bowling a better chance.