Punjab Kings has been highly unstable in IPL 2021. As it takes on an in-form Royal Challengers Bangalore in Sharjah on Sunday, it would look to delay the latter's bid to seal its playoffs berth.
It's a win for RCB, as it seals the deal by six runs and has also booked its place in the playoffs. PBKS remains in contention for the fourth spot, but the battle would be extremely tricky hereon. Read full match report here....
OUT! Shahrukh run out (Harshal) 16 (11). PBKS 158/6 (20). Batting: Henriques 12 (9), Brar 3 (2).
Three more wickets fall, as PBKS loses five and it seems to be out of the race for winning this contest. Chahal has simply rattled it, with Agarwal, Sarfraz and Markram gone. 27 needed off 12.
OUT! Agarwal c Siraj b Chahal 57 (42), Sarfaraz b Chahal 0 (1), Markram c Christian b Garton 20(14). PBKS 138/5 (18). Batting: Shahrukh 11 (8), Henriques 1 (2).
Pooran is the second man to depart, as Chahal dismissed him for just three. While Markram is in, along with Agarwal, who has scored his 11th IPL half-century, he has a job to see PBKS through. But, RCB is bowling well. 52 needed off 30.
OUT! Pooran c Padikkal b Chahal 3 (7). PBKS 113/2 (15). Batting: Agarwal 57 (41), Markram 7 (8).
The first breakthrough is here for RCB, as spinner Shahbaz gets rid of Rahul for 39. Pooran comes in and looks to contribute handsomely to the in-form Agarwal. 71 needed off 48.
OUT! Rahul c Harshal b Shahbaz 39 (35). PBKS 94/1 (12). Batting: Agarwal 47 (33), Pooran 2 (4).
No change in the story, as Rahul and Agarwal keep the ship sailing for PBKS. 93 needed off 66.
PBKS 72/0 (9). Batting: Rahul 37 (31), Agarwal 30 (24).
Still, no harm done to PBKS, as the openers are batting intelligently. 116 needed off 84.
PBKS 49/0 (6). Batting: Rahul 26 (19), Agarwal 19 (18).
Steady start by the PBKS openers. But, they would need to fire up, as it is a hefty total to change on a gradually slow surface.
PBKS 19/0 (3). Batting: Rahul 14 (11), Agarwal 9 (8).
Shami grabs three in the final over, as RCB finishes on 164/7. PBKS bowlers struck back good in the final couple of overs, getting four. 165 to win for PBKS. It is also the highest total at this ground this season.
OUT! de Villiers run out (Sarfaraz) 23 (18), Maxwell c Sarfaraz b Shami 57 (33), Shahbaz b Shami 8 (4), Garton b Shami 0 (1). RCB 164/7 (20). Batting: Harshal 1 (1), Bharat 0 (0).
Maxwell and de Villiers continue their onslaught on the PBKS bowlers, while Henriques has bowled himself out. Maxwell brings up his 11th IPL half-century, while 170 is on the cards.
RCB 140/3 (18). Batting: Maxwell 50 (298), de Villiers 17 (16).
RCB has not lost wickets in the next three, but Maxwell seems to be on a mission, as he is smacking the spinners all over the park, into the streets.
RCB 109/3 (15). Batting: Maxwell 34 (18), de Villiers 4 (9).
All of a sudden, RCB has lost three, with Kohli, Christian and Padikkal departing, with pacer Henriques getting all of them. PBKS has bounced back strong, while RCB is instantly onto the backfoot. This format can change the course of the game so quickly.
OUT! Kohli b Henriques 25 (24), Christian c Sarfaraz b Henriques 0 (1), Padikkal c Rahul b Henriques 4 0(38). RCB 73/3 (12). Batting: Maxwell 3 (7), de Villiers 0 (2).
RCB openers keep going, while luck seems to be in its favour, as Padikkal survives a caught-behind call. The third umpire seemingly botched the review, as clearly, Padikkal had gloved it in a faint manner, proved by UltraEdge. Not sure, what the third umpire was thinking, but PBKS should have had a wicket in its bag by now.
RCB 67/0 (9). Batting: Kohli 25 (23), Padikkal 37 (31).
Still, no harm done, as the RCB openers continue with their exquisite batting, while a couple of dropped catches and misfields have made things easier for it.
RCB 55/0 (6). Batting: Kohli 18 (13), Padikkal 34 (23).
Steady start by the RCB openers, as Kohli and Padikkal are at it. No harm done so far.
RCB 24/0 (3). Batting: Kohli 9 (6), Padikkal 14 (12).
Toss: RCB elects to bat.
Virat Kohli: We'll bat. Looks like a really nice and hard wicket. We understand that the pitches tend to slow down here, precisely why we want to bat first and put pressure. We are playing the same side. We feel we have enough depth in all departments in our lineup. We got Harshal into our side on a trade, and that is a signal to the players. He has understood his role. Maxwell has been moving around a lot, and we gave him the freedom, and he is enjoying his time here with us. This pitch looks much better than the last game we played here. If we play well, we could get those 20-25 extra runs which could be the difference. You need to make sure you get those runs and not leave them on the field. It would help if you had that momentum.
KL Rahul: I would have wanted to bowl, so not that disappointed at losing the toss. Our domestic performances are something that we are very proud of. That is what the IPL is about. Hopefully, they can continue and grow ahead as well, which would be good for the Indian team. Three changes: Fabian is injured, so Harpreet comes in for him. Sarfaraz Khan comes in for Hooda and so does Moises Henriques for Ellis.
Playing XI
RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, George Garton, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj and Yuzvendra Chahal.
PBKS: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi and Arshdeep Singh.
Hello and welcome to Asianet Newsable's live coverage of Match 48 of the 2021 Indian Premier League (IPL) between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium on Sunday. Both the teams are in contention for the playoffs, while RCB is in a favourable position, placed third, and a win would seal it. Meanwhile, a win for PBKS would keep it in contention.
RCB has been in a deserving form, having won seven matches out of 11 and is located third on the table. On the other hand, PBKS is ranked fifth, winning five from 12. Four points separate the two sides, while PBKS has a chance to rise to the fourth with this win.
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LIVE SCORECARD: IPL 2021 - RCB vs PBKS
The two sides have faced each other on 27 instances, with PBKS leading 15-12. Of the three United Arab Emirates (UAE) encounters between the two, PBKS possesses a superior lead of 3-0, which includes their only face-off in Sharjah.
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The Sharjah weather is sunny, with a temperature of 38 degrees and 47% humidity. The pitch would play lazily, while the shorter boundaries could serve the batters. Read the full match preview here....
Probable XI
RCB: Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers (wk), Dan Christian, George Garton, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammad Siraj and Navdeep Saini.
PBKS: KL Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Nathan Ellis, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh.
