Inconsistent Punjab Kings face uphill challenge against Royal Challengers Bangalore’s superstar batters

With AB de Villiers on hearth and Harshal Patel working away with the purple cap, RCB will fancy their possibilities

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KL Rahul was confused as he tried to search out causes for a profoundly tame efficiency by his group of their final recreation. How does a T20 line-up with so many hitters – Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Mayank Agarwal, Deepak Hooda and Rahul himself – slip and stumble and careen to 123 for 9 against a group that was backside of the desk? Punjab Kings’ drawback of placing collectively constant performances – a difficulty that they had struggled against even earlier than their identify change – appears to have cropped up once more.

Royal Challengers Bangalore used to battle with the identical factor. Superstar batters. Not sufficient wins. But this season, as a lot as they do seem depending on AB de Villiers, the bowling line-up has performed an equally necessary half in protecting them within the high half of the IPL factors desk. Mohammed Siraj’s time with the Indian group has turned him right into a model new bowler and Harshal Patel is working away with the purple cap.

Likely XIs

Punjab Kings: 1 KL Rahul (capt & wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle/Dawid Malan, 4 Deepak Hooda/Mandeep Singh, 5 Nicholas Pooran, 6 Moises Henriques/Fabian Allen, 7 Shahrukh Khan/ Sarfaraz Khan, 8 Chris Jordan/Jhye Richardson, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Mohammed Shami, 11 Arshdeep Singh

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1 Virat Kohli (capt), 2 Devdutt Padikkal, 3 Rajat Patidar, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 AB de Villiers, 6 Washington Sundar, 7 Kyle Jamieson, 8 Daniel Sams, 9 Harshal Patel, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal

Strategy punt

Given the Punjab Kings’ efficiency of their final recreation, it seems time to offer Dawid Malan a go. He has been a dependable and speedy scorer for England on the high of their order – to not point out he is the No. 1 T20I batter on the planet – and the advantages of providing him an analogous function may assist stabilise a batting line-up that appears unhealthily reliant on the type of its captain.

AB de Villiers hasn’t confronted a lot of both Ravi Bishnoi (10 runs off 7 balls) or Arshdeep Singh (0 off 0). So possibly two unknown portions can assist tie down one in every of IPL’s greatest finisher? In any case, he completely tears into Mohammed Shami (48 runs off 27 balls) and Chris Jordan (53 off 27) so the Kings may additionally be fascinated about bringing in one in every of Jhye Richardson or Riley Meredith for bowling assist.

Stats that matter

Royal Challengers Bangalore’s quick bowlers have taken 31 wickers this season – essentially the most out of all groups – averaging 21.6 – one of the best out of all groups – and have maintained an financial system charge of 8.4 – the joint-second greatest.

Nicholas Pooran has come off the boil a bit of bit with groups specializing in his weak spot against the brief ball. But if the Kings can push him up the order – from No. 5 to No. 4 – he has a greater probability of going through the type of bowling he likes – spin (strike charge 163). Additionally, he has a strike charge of 166 within the center overs (7-16) of an IPL recreation.

Yuzvendra Chahal has been topping the unsuitable charts this IPL. He has the second-worst strike charge (38) and the worst financial system charge (8.2) out of all spinners with a minimal of 15 overs bowled.

Alagappan Muthu is a sub-editor at ESPNcricinfo

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