Royal Challengers Bengaluru, coming on the back of a defeat in the hands of Chennai Super Kings in the opener of the IPL 2024 at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on Friday, will look to bounce back quickly against Punjab Kings at home, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Monday, March 25.
Punjab Kings hope to get underway as soon as possible and push their opponents onto the backfoot as quickly as the game starts. RCB know that it will be a challenging game by any means, given that PBKS have a solid lineup, and it will be interesting to see how they respond to this challenge.
RCB have many top players in its lineup who will be licking their lips in anticipation of this game. Skipper Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli will want to make a mark early on in the tournament and not leave too much to be done in the business end. PBKS, too, has many top players in its squad.
Predicted Teams
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat (wk), Karn Sharma, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Sikandar Raza, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Atharva Taide, Sam Curran, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada.
Key Players
Virat Kohli (RCB): Who else but Virat Kohli is the player to watch out for in the RCB side? The Indian great will want to make sure that he etches his name in the history books by becoming the tournament’s leading run-getter once again. Kohli knows his strengths exceptionally well and can take on any bowler in the world.
Shikhar Dhawan (PBKS): India opener Shikhar Dhawan can get PBKS off to a good start when setting a total or chasing down one. The southpaw is an aggressive player known for his wide range of shots. He will be deeply feared by the RCB bowlers in this game.
Match Prediction
RCB appear to be the downright favourites to win this game against PBKS. Being at home gives them a significant advantage; one would expect them to coast to a comfortable win. PBKS is a tad undercooked at the moment and does not have a lot of depth and variety in their squad.
