Royal Challengers Bengaluru face Punjab Kings today at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Stadium. RCB has struggled at home, while PBKS aims to perform better. The pitch favors batters, but spinners may have an edge. Match starts at 3:30 PM today.
Rajat Patidar-led Royal Challengers Bengaluru will play their second match against Punjab Kings today but this time at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh. RCB have had a decent campaign so far but have failed to capitalise on their home advantage as was evident in their last match against PBKS. Meanwhile, PBKS have also been known to spoil the home advantage at Mullanpur in the past, but this new-look Punjab side under Iyer have shown otherwise this season.
For the second time in three days, Punjab Kings will take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru with the hope of completing PBKS vs RCB double over their opponents. The match in Bengaluru, a rain-marred fixture, was won by the Kings who took advantage of a sticky surface to prevail in a 14-over clash. Given the conditions in New Chandigarh, this could be another surface where the batters may have to use their smarts rather than the long handle.
Punjab Kings have ticked most boxes this season, and with five wins in seven games, they seem well on track to get into the playoffs at this point. What works in their favour is their high-flying intent at the start along with immense batting depth, coupled with an efficient bowling unit which makes them a side with most bases covered. In the initial games, their premier spinner Yuzvendra Chahal had a quiet time but the seasoned leggie has roared back in style over the last two games, including the historic defence of 111 here in New Chandigarh against KKR.
Mullanpur pitch report: PBKS vs RCB
The pitch at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium is generally known to favour batsmen with run scores on the cards. Historically, pacers and spinners have been given some help at this venue.
However, the Mullanpur pitch can be a bit of an enigma for teams, as evidenced by the three matches played on the surface this year. While the first two matches saw the batting first team post a total of over 200 runs, the last match between KKR and PBKS saw the home team defend the lowest ever IPL total of 111 runs.
If the last game is anything to go by, the surface could play well throughout the match, with batsmen able to play shots freely. However, the spinners could have an edge on the wicket as they could restrict the run-scoring in the middle overs.
As head coach Ricky Ponting mentioned after that win against the defending champions, PBKS are a side brimming with confidence. However, they do face a RCB side that is yet to taste defeat on the road this season. Rajat Patidar’s men may have been unable to crack the code at home so far, losing all three games in Bengaluru, but they have managed to ensure a 100 percent record in away games. This includes iconic wins in Mumbai, Kolkata and Chennai. Unlike previous years, this RCB outfit does have a better balance to it across all facets.
For starters, Phil Salt has been a priceless addition to the squad and the Englishman’s trademark blitz at the top has been instrumental to RCB’s wins so far. Captain Patidar, senior man Virat Kohli and Tim David have all looked in good touch with the odd cameos from Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma. That said, this is a batting unit which will need to be smarter on tricky surfaces, given that most of the batters are flamboyant strokemakers. The bowling also lacks a potent spinner, although Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma have punched above their weight.
Mullanpur stadium stats:
There have been 8 IPL matches played at this venue, with the team batting first winning 5 and the team batting second winning 3.
The highest total at this venue was made by Punjab Kings (219) against Chennai Super Kings earlier this year. The average first innings total stands at 167.
Dew shouldn’t be an issue today with RCB vs PBKS taking place in the afternoon.
Chandigarh weather report:
India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a maximum temperature of 34 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 25 degrees Celsius in Chandigarh today. Weather forecasters are predicting partly cloudy skies in Chandigarh with no rainfall warning.
According to Accuweather, there is a 25% chance of rainfall and 6% chance of thunderstorm in Chandigarh today.
When and where to watch PBKS vs RCB match?
The PBKS vs RCB match will be played from 3:30 pm today with the toss scheduled for 3:00 pm. The match will be telecast on Star Sports Network, while live streaming will be available on the JioHotstar app and website.