RCB will try to beat PBKS and get closer to the playoffs

Right in time, the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) team will look to reach the IPL playoffs close by registering a win over their so far fluctuating performances Punjab Kings, here on Friday.

RCB have performed brilliantly in the last two matches, which seems to have found their proper combination. Barring Virat Kohli, all the RCB batsmen are in excellent form. Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror are also doing well in the form of captain Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik. Kohli hasn't had a good IPL season so far, but he will try to make up for it against Punjab.

RCB's bowlers have also been consistently performing well, including the in-form Josh Hazlewood and the reliable Harshal Patel. Muhammad Siraj is not in his best form but the team can expect him to do well at crucial times. Maxwell has proved useful with his off-spin in the powerplays and the middle overs, while Wanindu Hasaranga has so far taken 21 wickets, including five in a match. If RCB beat Punjab, they will be on 16 points, although 18 points are considered safe points to reach the playoffs.

As far as Punjab is concerned, they will have to win their remaining three matches to make it to the top four team. They beat RCB in their first match, but are now on 10 points from five wins. He has lost six matches. There is a lack of consistency in the Punjab team and that is the reason why they have not been able to register wins in two consecutive matches. Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapakse are contributing well in the top order, while Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma are finishing the innings well. Jani Bairstow's return to form is good news for Punjab. Captain Mayank Agarwal has decided to go down the middle order but he needs to lead from the front.

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Faf du Plessis seems to be in good form this season. He has played some great innings so far. In such a situation, Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli will be seen opening the innings. Kohli has been playing as an opener for RCB for a long time. If these two players are once set on the field, then the Punjab bowlers will have to apply a lot of heel thrust to get them out.

Mayank Agarwal and Shikhar Dhawan can be given the responsibility of opening the innings from Punjab Kings. Because, these players have the power to give a good start to the team on the basis of explosive batting. On the other hand, opener Shikhar Dhawan has impressed a lot with his batting. Even though Shikhar could have scored only 12 runs in the match against Rajasthan, but he has given the team a good start in many matches.

Teams :

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (Captain), Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Muhammad Siraj, Harshal Patel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik, Josh Hazlewood, Shahbaz Ahmed, Anuj Rawat, Akash Deep, Mahipal Lomror, Finn Allen, Sherfane Rutherford, Jason Behrendorf, Suyash Prabhudesai, Chama Milind, Anishwar Gautam, Karn Sharma, David Willey, Rajat Patidar, Siddharth Kaul.

Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (captain), Shikhar Dhawan, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Jonny Bairstow, Rahul Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Shah Rukh Khan, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Ishan Porel, Liam Livingstone, Odeon Smith, Sandeep Sharma, Raj Angad Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Prerak Mankad, Vaibhav Arora, Hrithik Chatterjee, Baltej Dhanda, Ansh Patel, Nathan Ellis, Atharva Taide, Bhanuka Rajapakse, Benny Howell.