Royal Challengers Bangalore will face Punjab Kings in the 60th game of the ongoing Indian Premier League at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Friday.
RCB have managed seven wins from 12 matches whereas Punjab Kings have won five out of their 11 games.
If RCB wins their remaining two matches, they will sail through to the playoff stages whereas it will be important for PBKS to win their remaining three games to give themselves the best chance of qualifying for the last four.
RCB had won their previous match against SRH by a massive margin of 67 runs and they will look to continue the good show against PBKS. Faf du Plessis had played a captain’s knock whereas Wanindu Hasaranga had scalped a brilliant five-wicket haul. Furthermore, Dinesh Karthik had provided the finishing touches but the form of Virat Kohli is still a concern for the franchise as he was once again dismissed on a golden duck.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings lost their previous match against Rajasthan Royals by six wickets despite posting a par score of 189 runs on the board. Jonny Bairstow had scored a fine fifty while opening the innings and it was definitely a positive for PBKS. Moreover, Arshdeep Singh has continued to impress as he scalped two wickets and conceded only 29 runs against RR.
Match Prediction: RCB will enter the contest as favorites against PBKS as they are in better form.
PBKS Predicted Playing XI: Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (c), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Shahrukh Khan, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada.
RCB Probable Playing 11: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj.
