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Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Preview: Top-heavy batting power under focus

By Sridhar Bhamidi

29 Apr 2021

Sridhar Bhamidi 29 Apr 2021

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Punjab Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in match #26 of IPL 2021 on Friday
This match will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad
Punjab Kings have lost 4 of their 6 matches this season
Punjab Kings have hit more 6s than their opponents in 4 of their 6 matches this season
Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 5 of their 6 matches this season
KL Rahul has scores of 132* and 61* in his last two matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore

Old friendships will be kept out of the field when Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore battle it out (GettyImages)

Punjab Kings will hope to get inspired by their last season form against Royal Challengers Bangalore when they meet in match #26 of the Indian Premier League 2021 season. This fixture will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Friday.

Punjab have two wins and four losses from their six matches so far and are languishing in the bottom-three positions. Royal Challengers Bangalore have five wins and a loss from their six matches and are just behind Chennai Super Kings at the top of the tally.

Punjab Kings Form

After starting the season with a narrow four-run win over Rajasthan Royals, the Punjab Kings have slumped to four losses in their next five matches. The batting unit has struggled to find a middle ground as they keep oscillating between extreme scores.

KL Rahul (240 runs, SR 129.03) continues to be their batting lynchpin with three 50+ scores although his SR remains a worry. Bowling hasn’t really clicked with only Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh taking seven wickets each, although conceding at 7.68 runs and above per over.

Punjab Kings News

The poor utilisation of Nicholas Pooran throws into question their team selection, while Moises Henriques also remains under the scanner.

Royal Challengers Bangalore Form

A tight one-run win over Delhi Capitals brought Royal Challengers Bangalore back to winning ways after a 69-run drubbing at the hands of Chennai Super Kings. They have five wins so far and look one of the early front runners for the top-four slots.

AB de Villiers (204 runs, Avg. 68.00) and Glenn Maxwell (223 runs, SR 145.75) continue to lead their batting, while ‘Purple Cap’ owner Harshal Patel (17 wickets, ER 8.50) keeps taking wickets in heaps.

Royal Challengers Bangalore News

Scott Kuggeleijn has been roped in as replacement for Kane Richardson but may not get a game right away.

Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Head-to-Head

Punjab Kings have a slender 14-12 win-loss positive record against Royal Challengers Bangalore. RCB can boast of a recent upper hand though, winning four of the last six matches.

Last season, however, saw Punjab Kings win both the matches. KL Rahul scored 132* and 61* to guide his side to a 97-run and eight-wicket win in those two games.

Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Match Up

Punjab Kings are struggling for momentum with the bat, as the over-dependence on top-order is telling. The choice of foreign players is being questioned, as they plot ways of getting their mojo back. Royal Challengers Bangalore have no such worries with a lot of players taking responsibilities.

Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Stats

Punjab Kings have posted the highest opening partnership of the match in 7 of their last 8 matches against Royal Challengers Bangalore.
Punjab Kings have hit the most 6s of the match in 4 of their 6 matches this season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 5 of their 6 matches this campaign.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have won 4 of the last 6 matches against Punjab Kings.
Royal Challengers Bangalore have scored more power play runs than Punjab Kings in 4 of their last 5 matches.
AB de Villiers has 710 runs in 21 innings against Punjab Kings at an average of 47.33.

Prediction

Royal Challengers Bangalore have the form, momentum, and right team balance to win this match. KL Rahul loves playing against RCB and should fancy another 50+ score. AB de Villiers also gets into groove when playing Punjab Kings. The Kings should fancy posting a higher opening partnership, as the Royal Challengers will be aiming for a strong powerplay start.

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