Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Punjab Kings: Royal Challengers Bangalore, who returned to winning ways after defeating Rajasthan Royals in their previous match, will face a similarly mixed Punjab Kings team in their IPL match at home on Friday.
RCB, who have won four of their six matches so far, have also lost two of their matches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium which is their home ground. To avoid a hat-trick of defeats at home, Rajat Patidar-led RCB will need to put up an all-round performance against the Kings, who have a strong batting and bowling line-up. They will especially need to tame spinner Yuzvendra Chahal.
Chahal and Glenn Maxwell are looking forward to riding on the RCB batters who are struggling against spinners, especially against slow bowlers. Chahal and Maxwell are well aware of the conditions at the Chinnaswamy Stadium as they were in the RCB camp for a few years. However, it is a relief for the home team that the spinners have failed to exploit the conditions this time. But Chahal is ready for the match against RCB with a four-wicket haul against Kolkata Knight Riders. Similarly, Maxwell is looking to make a useful contribution to the Punjab Kings in both batting and bowling.
RCB, with spinners like Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, is expected to strategize to control the opposition in their own territory. While Punjab have capable pacers like Arshdeep Singh and Marco Jansen, Royal Challengers have the strength of pacers like Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar. But the fact that both of them have not performed to their potential so far is a slight setback for RCB.
Rajat Patidar vs Shreyas Iyer
There is no similarity between RCB captain Rajat Patidar and Punjab Kings captain Shreyas Iyer. Shreyas Iyer, the captain of the IPL Title winning team, has the best record in batting in the present IPL tournament. But Rajat Patidar is leading the Royal Challengers Bengaluru team in the IPL for the very first time. But the differences between the two captains are likely to change with each match. Rajat's calmness and Shreyas' aggressive style cannot be ignored, influencing the outcome of the match. Virat Kohli, who is in excellent form, is expected to bat impressively again. But it remains to be seen whether he will be able to provide support to RCB, who are facing a third consecutive defeat at home. A tough battle is expected as both teams have strong batting and bowling units.
Chinnaswamy pitch and weather report
Chinnaswamy Stadium is a solid batting pitch. Since the boundaries are close together, there will be a shower of boundaries and sixes. But there is also a suspicion that the rain could spoil the match. The daytime temperature on Friday will be 33 degrees, making it a sunny day. However, there is a possibility of some rain in the evening of the match day. However, there is a sub-air system at Chinnaswamy Stadium to drain rainwater quickly, so it is not likely to be a major problem.
- Match Start At: 7.30 PM (IST)
- Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru
- Live Broadcast: Star Sports Network
