Punjab Kings (PBKS) are going to play against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in the 6th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. This is the first time they’re playing at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore in this season of the Indian Premier League.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru wants to do better after losing to the defending champions, Chennai Super Kings, on Friday. Their batting wasn’t great in the last game, so they need to work on it before the next match. Their bowling was okay, especially with using the short ball strategy, but they might change a player to add another fast bowler instead of Karn Sharma.
Punjab Kings had a good start in their first match against Delhi Capitals, and they want to keep up this momentum in their next game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Their win showed they’re a strong team this season, and other teams should take them seriously.
Let’s take a look at the top 5 battles that might decide RCB vs PBKS encounter:
5. Mayank Dagar vs Jitesh Sharma
The vice-captain of the Punjab Kings, Jitesh Sharma, didn’t start the IPL well. He wants to do better in the next game. He bats fifth, his favorite spot, and can finish the game or steady the team if needed.
His big challenge is facing Mayank Dagar, the main spinner for the home team. Dagar did well in the last match, bowling fast and giving away few runs without taking wickets.
In the last game, Jitesh Sharma couldn’t figure out Dagar’s spin and got out. If Dagar bowls like that again, he might trick Jitesh Sharma. This battle in the middle overs could change the game’s outcome.
4. Glenn Maxwell vs Rahul Chahar
When the Australian player comes to bat, everyone pays attention. But in the current match, he got out without scoring any runs. People expect him to do well most of the time because he’s good at hitting powerful shots.
His biggest challenge in this match is a bowler named Rahul Chahar, who is tricky with his different kinds of deliveries. Even though he gave away some runs, Chahar managed to get a wicket at an important moment. Last time he played at this ground, he was one of the best bowlers, taking a wicket and only giving away 22 runs in four overs.
Usually, Maxwell is good at hitting boundaries against spin bowlers, but sometimes he gets out to them too. At this stadium, he might be expected to do well against spinners, but we shouldn’t count Chahar out just yet.
3. Shikhar Dhawan vs Mohammed Siraj
The captain of Punjab Kings didn’t play well in the last game against Delhi Capitals. He only scored 22 runs from 16 balls before getting out while trying to score quickly. In the next game at M.Chinnaswamy stadium, Shikhar Dhawan is expected to score most runs for his team because the pitch is good for batting.
Dhawan will face Mohammed Siraj, who is one of the best Indian fast bowlers. Siraj wants to take wickets early in the game. He didn’t do well in the previous match but hopes to do better this time.
Their match-up might decide which team starts well in the tournament. If Dhawan continues to play aggressively, he might score the most runs in the game. Siraj wants to get Dhawan out early in the game
2. Faf Du Plessis vs Kagiso Rabada
South African player Faf du Plessis did really well batting for Royal Challengers Bangalore against CSK in their last match. He hit some really good shots in the beginning of the game. He seemed like he was going to score a lot of runs, but then he got out.
Now, Faf will be facing his fellow South African player Kagiso Rabada. Rabada hasn’t been doing great in T20 cricket lately, but he did get a wicket in the last game. However, he also gave away a lot of runs. There’s a new rule that allows only two short balls per over, and Rabada can use this to his advantage.
It’s going to be interesting to see these two players face off. Faf will try to do well for his team, while Rabada will try to get Faf out quickly.
1. Virat Kohli vs Arshdeep Singh
Virat Kohli came back to play after a short break of two months, but it seemed like he never left. It took him a bit of time to get back into the swing of things, but once he did, he started scoring runs quickly for his team. Unfortunately, he got out after making just 21 runs because the fielder made an amazing catch.
The bowler, Arshdeep Singh, hopes to use his great skills with the new ball to get Kohli out. In the last game, he did well, taking two wickets and only giving away 28 runs in four overs. Now, at the M. Chinnaswamy stadium, he wants to take more wickets for his team.
If Kohli starts well, he might make a big score. Arshdeep’s job is to stop him from doing that, and he’ll need to use his different bowling techniques to do it. It’s a big match between these two top players.
READ MORE: Top 5 IPL knocks Of Shikhar Dhawan against RCB
