In the 48th fixture of the VIVO IPL 2021, Royal Challengers Bangalore will be taking on Punjab Kings on Sunday at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium at 3:30 PM IST.
The Virat Kohli-led Royal Challengers Bangalore are currently placed third in the points table with 14 points in 11 games. In their previous fixture, RCB beat Rajasthan Royals by seven wickets. Their bowlers Harshal Patel, Shahbaz Ahmed and Yuzvendra Chahal have been in a good form and provide breakthroughs at regular intervals. The franchise just needs to clinch a couple of more victories to qualify for the playoffs.
The KL Rahul-led Punjab Kings have had a slow start to phase 2 of the current season as they are currently placed sixth in the points table with eight points in 11 games. In their previous game, the franchise lost against Mumbai Indians by six wickets. Their star bowler Ravi Bishnoi has been taking some key wickets this season but the franchise will be expecting the experienced Mohammed Shami to step on the paddle to earn some crucial points for the franchise in the coming games. As for the batting side, Aiden Markram and Deepak Hooda have been performing consistently for the franchise.
Head-to-Head:
Both teams have faced each other on 27 occasions, where Bangalore won 15 games while PBKS emerged victorious on 12 occasions.
The last time RCB and PBKS faced each other was back in phase 1 of the competition, where Punjab Kings won by 34 runs against Bangalore.
Team News:
Royal Challengers Bangalore – Apart from Washington Sundar’s absence, RCB have a fully fit squad at their disposal.
Punjab Kings – PBKS will be playing the fixture without the veteran Chris Gayle who has withdrawn from the IPL phase 2 stating bio bubble fatigue. They’ll also be without Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith along Dawid Malan.
TV and LIVE streaming details:
OTT- Disney+ Hotstar
Sponsors:
Royal Challengers Bangalore – The Principal sponsors of RCB are DP World, Reliance JIO, and Exide.
Punjab Kings- The Principal sponsors of PBKS are BKT, Reliance Jio, Dream 11, Boat, All Seasons Hand Rub, and Lotus Herbals.