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Thu, 09 May 2024
IPL Updates: RCB win by 60 runs; Punjab knocked out
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23:44 RCB win by 60 runs; Punjab knocked out
PBKS 181-all out (17 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
RCB are rushing towards the finish line as Punjab continue to collapse. Ferguson bowls it full and straight as Curran misses the big heave and is bowled after scoring 21 from 16 balls. Infact, it was the knuckle ball which was much slower in pacer which cause Curran's downfall as Punjab lose their eighth wicket.
Rahul Chahar gets a boundary off the last ball square on the off-side to get off the mark.
Siraj strikes in his final over. Harshal flicks the pacer uppishly but straight to Ferguson at deep square leg who takes a well-judged catch. The ball nearly slipped through as Ferguson held it by his finger tips.
A quick bouncer from Siraj as Arshdeep backs away and attempts to pull it is beaten for pace.
Chahar has a big swing but misses before he takes one and Arshdeep hits the next to the fielder at mid-on.
Arshdeep does well to reach to a wide yorker as he carves it over point for a four to get off the mark.
He miscues the slower ball looking to hit down the ground to be caught at mid-on for four.
Punjab are bowled out for 181 in 17 overs to lose by 60 runs.
Punjab become the second team to be knocked of the running for a place in the play-offs after suffering their eighth defeat in 12 games.
Meanwhile, RCB keep their slim hopes alive with their fifth win from 12 games to stay seventh.
23:26 Punjab 7 down; RCB on course for win
PBKS 164-7 (15 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Siraj comes back into the attack. Singles from the first two balls before Ashutosh pulls the short ball down the leg side over fine leg for a six.
He taps the fourth ball for one followed by a wide and Curran picks one on the leg side.
Ashutosh misses the flick off a full delivery and is given out leg before wicket. He takes the review but the impact is in line and the ball is going on to strike the leg stump.
The decision stands as Ashutosh is given out leg before wicket for eight with Punjab slipping towards an early exit from the tournament.
23:23 Shashank out for 37; Punjab 6 down
PBKS 153-6 (14 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Karn makes the mistake of giving some air on the leg stump line as Shashank slogs the first ball over midwicket for a six.
He clips the next ball for one and Curran picks two runs off the next through midwicket.
Curran manages just one off the fifth ball before Shashank gets a thick outside edge off the last ball for a four, to get 14 from the over and keep in touch with the asking rate.
Pacer Ferguson is back into the attack. Singles from the first two balls before Shashank is injured as he clashes with Faf du Plessis at the nons-striker's end while finishing the second run as the physio is called out.
Shashank is run out by a brilliant piece of fielding by Kohli after a quickfire 37 from 19 balls.
Curran clips Ferguson in the gap at midwicket and calls him partner for the second run. Kohli rushes in from deep midwicket and is quick to release the ball as he manages to hit the stumps with the direct hit.
An unbelievable piece of fielding as Punjab slip to 151/6 in the 14th over.
23:06 Punjab 5 down; RCB in control
PBKS 132-5 (12 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
The spinners are running through the Punjab batting line-up. Swapnil picks up the key wicket of the dangerous Livingstone for a duck. The left-arm spinner gets some away turn as Livingstone gets the leading edge looking to flick it and is caught in the covers.
Three wickets in the space of 15 balls as Punjab slip to 126/5, in the 12th over.
Sam Curran gets off the mark with two runs through the off-side as Green makes a sliding stop. He flicks the next in the gap through midwicket for a four followed by two dot balls to end the over.
23:00 Karn's double strike puts RCB in control
PBKS 125-4 (11 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Left-arm spinner Swapnil is back into the attack. Shashank gets a thick outside edge second ball which goes past short thirdman for a four. But the spinner does well to give away just three runs from the rest of the over, in which he concedes just seven runs.
Punjab are 114/3 in 10 overs at the halfway mark, needing another 128 from the remaining 10 overs for victory.
Karn continues as Shashank heaves the first over square leg for a six and then takes one.
Jitesh looks to play the inside out lofted shot but gets it off the outside edge as the ball flies over short thirdman for a four.
Karn strikes next ball as Jitesh swings across the line but misses the ball to be bowled for 5 to continue his dismal run in IPL 2024.
22:53 Rossouw out for 61, Punjab in trouble
PBKS 107-3 (9 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Leg-spinner Karn Sharma comes into the attack. Rossouw hammers the second ball through the covers for a four to take Punjab past the 100-run mark, in the ninth over.
The next ball is sent flying over the midwicket fence for a huge six as Rossouw continues to take apart the bowlers.
He attempts the reverse sweep which he misses and is hit on the throat. The physio comes out to have a check before Rossouw continues after some treatment.
But the short breaks seems to have impacted his rhythm. He looks to swing the last ball over the leg side but the timing is off on this occasion as he ends up holing out a simple catch to Jacks at long-on.
Rossouw played a good hand with the bat, smashing a quickfire 61 from 27 balls, with three sixes and nine fours, to rally Punjab.
An important strike from Karn in his opening over to put RCB in control.
22:47 Rossouw slams fifty to revive Punjab
PBKS 96-2 (8 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Off-spinner Will Jacks comes into the attack. He makes a tidy start, giving away just five singles in his first over to build up some pressure.
RCB switching around their bowlers as Cameron Green comes into the attack from the other end.
A good sharp bouncer from Green as Rossouw top edges the pull shot which goes over the wicketkeeper for a four.
The next ball is full and this time the left-hander thumps it over long-on for a six to race to his fifty from just 21 balls.
Another good bouncer from Green as Shashank is struck on the gloves trying to pull with the ball going fine on the leg side for another four followed by a single to make it 16 from the over.
22:40 Bairstow out for 27; Punjab lose 2nd wkt
PBKS 75-2 (6 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Pace bowler Lockie Ferguson comes into the attack. Singles from the first two balls before Bairstow lofts the full delivery over mid-on for a four.
The next ball is down the leg side as Bairstow flicks it over square leg for another boundary.
But Ferguson has the last laugh. Bairstow is completely done in by the slower ball as he is early into the the shot and ends up chipping it on the off-side.
Faf du Plessis runs back from mid-off and puts in the dive at the last second to complete a superb catch as Bairstow walks back after scoring 27 from 16 balls.
Shashank Singh takes no time to get going as he flicks the first ball he faces for a four through square leg.
Punjab are 75/2 in six overs, with Rossouw striking 37 from 15 balls. They need another 167 from 14 overs for victory at an asking rate of nearly 12.
22:30 Rossouw, Bairstow rally Punjab Kings
PBKS 61-1 (5 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Siraj starts his second over with a short wide delivery which Rossouw crashes through point for a four.
The next ball moves away as the left-hander is beaten trying to hit it across the line.
Rossouw continues to go for his shots. He smashes the full delivery back past the bowler for another boundary followed by another straight four two balls later.
Rossouw clubs the last ball into the stands over midwicket for a six, to get 18 from the over.
Bairstow joins the party. He pulls the short ball from Dayal high over midwicket for a six to take Punjab past the 50-run mark, in the fifth over.
The next ball is full and slightly wide as Bairstow lofts it over the covers for a four followed by a wide down the legside.
Dayal makes a good comeback with two good yorkers on the pads, not giving Bairstow anything to work with.
He then deceives Bairstow all ends up with a slower ball (104kph), as the Punjab opener looking to go over the off-side has to make the late adjustment and tap it to short thirdman for one.
Rossouw slams the last ball which is again quite slow over the fielder at mid-on for a four to get 16 from the over.
22:21 Swapnil strikes; Punjab lose early wicket
PBKS 27-1 (3 ovs) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Mohammed Siraj from the other end. Bairstow looking to be positive as he pulls the second ball over midwicket for a four and then taps the fourth ball on the off-side for a single.
Super yorker from Siraj as the ball dips in sharply and he does well to jam his bat down in time to keep it out.
Bairstow risks a quick single off the last ball to mid-on. Infact, du Plessis has hit the stumps with a direct hit as Bairstow jumps to avoid the ball. As per the old ruling, Bairstow would have been given out as his feet were not grounded when the ball hit the stumps.
Impact Player Yash Dayal into the attack. Bairstow takes a single first ball before Rossouw inside edges the next ball which goes fine on the leg side for a four.
Rossouw is beaten on the outside edge as he tries to drive with the pacer getting some away movement.
The left-hander (13) gets a lifeline as he cuts the slower ball straight to Lomror at point, who puts down a simple catch at point. Punjab's innings had four dropped catches and RCB have put down one chance early on.
Good start from Dayal as he gives away just six runs in the third over of Powerplay.
22:13 Swapnil strikes; Punjab lose early wicket
PBKS 14-1 (1 ov) vs RCB 241-7 | Scorecard
Jonny Bairstow and Prabhsimran Singh will need to give Punjab a flying start in the Powerplay. Meanwhile, RCB will be hoping to pick a wicket or two with the Punjab batters forced to take some risks early on.
Left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh opens the bowling for RCB. Prabhsimran hits the first ball through the covers for two runs to get off the mark before he plays the lap sweep two balls later for a four.
Swapnil strikes the early blow for RCB. He traps Prabhsimran plumb leg before wicket with the arm ball which slides in straight on to hit the pads right in front.
Prabhsimran has a chat with partner Bairstow before walking off without the review for six.
Rilee Rossouw gets off the mark in positive fashion as he hits the first ball past point for a four. He drives the next with some beautiful timing through the covers for another boundary.
21:51 Kohli, Patidar power RCB to 241
RCB 241-7 (20 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Harshal to bowl the final over. He strikes first ball with the slower ball as Karthik mistimes the heave over the leg side and is caught at deep midwicket after a quickfire 18 from seven balls.
The next ball is a yorker angling in as left-hander Mahipal Lomror is struck on the pads. The LBW shout is turned down before Punjab take the review but the ball is going down.
Green manages just a single from the third ball before Harshal deceives Lomror all ends up with the slower ball. The left-hander is too early into the shot as he misses the ball completely to be bowled for a duck.
A full toss from Harshal as new batter Swapnil Singh gets it off the inside half for a single on the leg side.
Green lofts the slower ball down the ground but fails to get the distance. Captain Curran runs to his right and puts in the dive to pouch a super catch at long-on.
Green is dismissed after a quickfire 46 from 27 balls as RCB finish on a huge 241/7 in their 20 overs.
Harshal did well to concede just three runs while picking up three wickets in the final over to finish with 3/38 in four overs.
Despite that brilliant last over from Harshal, RCB took the Punjab bowlers apart at the end, with 77 coming from the last five overs.
21:41 Green, Karthik pile on the runs!
RCB 238-4 (19 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
A big gamble from Curran to give leg-spinner Chahar the 19th over. Green makes room to hammer the first ball wide of the fielder at long-off for a four and then gets one off the inside edge.
Karthik slog sweeps the third ball high over midwicket for a six before he inside edges the next trying another wild swing.
Quick and flat from Chahar as Green gets the bottom edge which nutmegs wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow for three runs fine on the off-side.
Karthik once again uses the slog sweep to despatch the last ball over midwicket for a boundary as Rossouw makes a diving effort but can't get to the ball.
To make things worse for Punjab, Chahar has overstepped to gift Karthik a free hit.
He already conceded 20 runs from his first five deliveries.
Karthik hits the last ball over the covers and is caught in the deep but since it is a free hit delivery the catch won't stand as the batter gets a single.
21 runs from the 19th over, as Chahar finishes with 47 runs from his three overs.
21:34 Kohli out for 47-ball 92; RCB 4 down
RCB 217-4 (18 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Arshdeep back into the attack. Kohli unlucky as the straight drive off the first ball crashes into the stumps at the other end.
The next ball is wide and this time he gets it perfectly in the gap through the covers for a four.
Short and wide from Arshdeep and this time Kohli slashes it over point for a six to race into the 90s.
However, Arshdeep gets revenge with the wicket of Kohli. The RCB batting mainstay slices the wide full delivery straight into the hands of Rossouw at deep extra cover, who doesn't have to move an inch.
Kohli walks back to a big ovation after a stunning knock of 92 from 47 balls, having it six sixes and seven fours.
A quick bouncer to greet new batter Dinesh Karthik who is struck on the body before he smashes over the cover region for a six to get off the mark in confident fashion.
21:26 Kohli, Green attack; RCB go past 200
RCB 200-3 (17 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Harshal is back into the attack. The first ball is wide as Green looks to drive but gets the edge which flies fine on the off-side for a four.
The next ball is full and on the stumps as Green lofts it back over the bowler's head for a six.
Harshal bowls a yorker which Green keeps out for a single followed by a wide.
Singles off the last three balls as RCB bring up their 200, in the 17th over.
Harshal has also struggled, conceding 15 runs in the 17th over for a total of 36 runs in three overs.
21:24 Kohli on the attack; RCB eye huge total
RCB 185-3 (16 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
How much can RCB get in the last five overs? They certainly look on course to go past 200, but they will be targetting a total of around 225.
Kohli looking to change gears. He plays a thumping slog sweep off Curran, heaving the pacer over midwicket for his fourth six.
Curran feels the pressure as he sends down two successive wides trying to bowl the wide yorkers.
Kohli takes a single to long-off before Green slams the length ball back over Curran's head for a four and then takes one.
Kohli continues to attack as he despatches the last ball over long-on for a six to take his score to 80 from 41 balls at a strike rate of nearly 200.
Kohli gets to a personal landmark as he completes 400 sixes in T20 cricket.
21 runs from Curran's third over, who has struggled to contain the runs, giving away 50 from three overs.
21:15 Kohli hits fifty; RCB race past 150
RCB 164-3 (15 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Pacer Harshal comes back into the attack. Singles off the first two balls before Green rocks back to cut the short ball over point for a four to bring up RCB's 150, in the 14th over.
The next ball is driven down the ground for a single to long-on and Kohli gets one to sweeper cover.
Green hammers the last ball uppishly past the bowler for another run to long-off, to get nine from the over.
Meanwhile, Kohli has taken his score past 600 runs in IPL 2024 -- the fourth time he has achieved the landmark a record he jointly holds with K L Rahul.
Livingstone continues as he gives away three singles from the first four balls. Kohli breaks the shackles as he slog sweeps the fifth ball over midwicket for a six and gets two runs off the last ball.
21:04 Kohli hits fifty to boost RCB
RCB 144-3 (13 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
The spinners have got some turn. Green gets a leading edge off Livingstone which flies to the left of the bowler for a single.
Kohli whips the overpitched delivery from the spinner powerfully in the gap through midwicket for a four to race to his fifty from 33 balls.
He slog sweeps the last ball for another boundary through the same region, to get 11 from the over.
21:02 Punjab spinners keep RCB in check
RCB 133-3 (12 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Spin from both ends as leggie Chahar is back into the attack. Kohli drives the first ball in the gap on the off-side for one and Green lofts the next over the covers for a four.
He drives the fourth ball to long-on for one before Kohli's firm drive through the covers is half-stopped by the fielder inside the circle to keep it down to two followed by a dot, as Chahar gives away eight in his second over.
20:58 Play resumes in Dharamsala
RCB 125-3 (11 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Play resumes in Dharamsala after a 30-minute break due to rain and wet outfield.
Part-time spinner Liam Livingstone starts off with the ball after the break. He starts with a full toss but Kohli has already made up his mind to get his eye in as he gently drives it long-on for a single.
Cameron Green drives the next to sweeper cover for one to get off the mark.
Livingstone bowls a wide down the leg side before Kohli can't middle the cut shot. Some turn for Livingstone as Kohli pokes and is beaten as the sharp turning leg break goes past the outside edge.
He takes a single off the fifth ball and Green takes one off the last ball but an overthrow gets him another run off the overthrow.
A tidy start from Livingstone as he concedes just six runs in his first over.
20:49 Play to restart at 8.55pm IST
RCB 119-3 (10 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
It has stopped raining at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The umpires are checking out the conditions in the middle as the groundstaff are taking off the covers.
Play will restart at 8.55pm IST
20:23 Rain stop play; RCB 119/3 vs Punjab
RCB 119-3 (10 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep back into the attack. He starts with a short ball which Kohli pulls powerfully to beat the fielder at deep square leg for a four.
Kohli steers the second ball away from short thirdman for a single before Patidar again takes toll of a short ball to heave it over midwicket for a six, to take RCB past the 100-run mark in the ninth over.
Patidar pushes the pacer to deep point for a single and Kohli takes one off the next before the former punches the last ball through the covers for two runs, to get 16 from the over.
Patidar's arrival has turned the RCB innings on it's head. He has stroked 48 from 20 balls, putting on 63 from 26 balls for the third wicket.
Curran is back into the attack. The first ball is slightly wide as Kohli hangs back to guide the past short thirdman for a four and then takes one.
Patidar continues to deal in sixes. He pulls the short ball from Curran over fine leg for a six to race to his fifty in grand style, from 21 balls.
Captain Curran brings Punjab relief with the key wicket of Patidar. The right-hander tries to run the full wide delivery to thirdman but gets the edge and is caught by wicketkeeper Bairstow.
Punjab will heave a sigh of relief to see the catch being taken! They have already dropped four catches so far!
Patidar played an entertaining knock of 55 from 23 balls, hitting six sixes and three fours. He got RCB back on track, adding 76 from 32 balls for the third wicket with Kohli.
20:13 Kohli, Patidar revive RCB
RCB 90-2 (8 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Leg-spinner Rahul Chahar comes into the attack. He starts with a short ball which Patidar pulls over wide long-on for a six.
The next ball is again halfway down as Patidar again has enough time to rock back and pull it over square for another six.
Punjab continue to put down catches. Patidar gets his second lifeline as wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow puts down a sharp chance after the RCB right-hander got an edge trying to run it fine on the off-side.
Patidar makes it worse for Chahar as he lofts the next ball inside out for a splendid six wide of long-off.
An action-packed first over from leggie Chahar as he was hit for three sixes while he also had a dropped catch.
20:07 Kohli, Patidar rally RCB
RCB 72-2 (7 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Kaverappa will bowl out, as he continues to send down his fourth over on the trot.
Kohli uses his feet to hit the debutant over the long-off fence for a six before taking one off the next.
Kaverappa overpitches on the stumps as Patidar lofts it over wide long-on for the second six of the over, followed by three more singles.
Kaverappa goes for 16 in his final over, to finish with 2/36 from his four overs.
20:05 Kaverappa's double strike rocks RCB
RCB 56-2 (6 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Harshal, who dropped the catch in the previous over, comes into the attack to bowl the sixth over.
Patidar flicks the second ball over midwicket for a four and guides the next past short thirdman for another boundary.
Two balls later, he hammers an overpitched delivery for the third boundary of the over before Harshal gets some away movement to beat right-hander Patidar.
RCB reach 56/2 in six overs, with Punjab ruing three dropped catches in the Powerplay.
Kohli has not imposed himself, as he was put down twice, to score 22 from 14 balls, while Patidar is on 13.
20:00 Kaverappa's double strike rocks RCB
RCB 44-2 (5 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
A third over for Kaverappa in the Powerplay after bowling two good overs first up.
Kohli uses his feet to launch the youngster over the long-off fence for a six and then inside edges the next for a single.
Jacks is beaten by the incoming delivery as Kaverappa gets the ball to jag in sharply.
Kaverappa strikes with the big wicket of Jacks, who is caught by Harshal Patel for 12.
Jacks looks to whip the pacer over the short fine leg fielder but fails to get enough elevation. Harshal at short fine leg dives to his left to take a sharp catch and send back Jacks for 12.
Two balls later, Kaverappa has another catch dropped off his own bowling. Rajat Patidar pulls the pace bowler uppishly off his pads as Harshal runs to his right at fine leg but puts down a simple catch.
Kaverappa has excellent figure of 2/20 in three overs, while he has seen as many as three catches dropped off his own bowling.
20:00 Du Plessis out for 9; RCB lose early wkt
RCB 36-1 (4 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
Sam Curran comes into the attack in place of Arshdeep. Jacks inside edges the first ball for a single and Kohli flicks the next ball over midwicket for a four.
Kohli drives a low full toss through the covers for one and Jacks gets the lofted shot off the inside half of the bat, dragging it over midwicket for a four.
The right-hander lofts the fifth ball straight back over the bowler's head for a six as Curran gives away 16 runs in his first over.
20:00 Du Plessis out for 9; RCB lose early wkt
RCB 20-1 (3 ovs) vs PBKS | Scorecard
A memorable debut for pace bowler Kaverappa.
After missing out on the wicket on Kohli in his first over, Kaverappa bounces back to dismiss du Plessis in his next over.
Du Plessis looks to loft it over the off-side but ends up slicing it straight to the fielder at deep point to perish for nine.
Will Jacks gets off the mark with a single before Kohli plays out two dots in a row.
Kohli, on 10, gets another lifeline. He uses his feet and smashes Kaverappa uppishly, hitting it powerfully towards Rile Rossouw in the covers who dives to his left and gets both hands on the ball but can't hold on.
Twice in two overs, Kaverappa has seen Kohli dropped off his bowling.
Just a single from his second over and the wicket of RCB du Plessis as Kaverappa has impressed on debut.
He has enjoyed a good start on his debut, with figures of 1/12 in two overs.
19:40 RCB off to a confident start vs Punjab
RCB 19-0 (2 ovs) vs PBKS
Left-arm pacer Arshdeep Singh from the other end. Kohli gets a single from the first ball to deep point and du Plessis clips the third ball for another run.
Kohli is beaten on the outside edge as he tries to run the ball down to thirdman as Arshdeep gets some away movement.
Some width from the pacer as Kohli finally gets going with a confident punch through the covers for a four. He mistimes the lofted shot last ball but again enjoys some luck as he manages to clear the fielder at mid-off for two runs.
19:37 Punjab elect to bowl; RCB drop Maxwell
RCB 11-0 (1 ov) vs PBKS
Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli are the openers for RCB, who will be aiming for a quickfire start in the Powerplay. Pacer Vidhwath Kaverappa opens the bowling for Punjab Kings.
Kohli defends the first ball before he comes down the track next ball and looks to hit it through the off-side but is beaten by some away swing.
Kohli (0) gets a lifeline as Ashutosh Sharma puts down a tough chance. The RCB opener got a thick leading edge looking to hit Kaverappa through the leg side. The ball went high on the off-side as Ashutosh ran back from point and gets under the ball but somehow can't hold on despite getting a hand on it.
That was a big opportunity to strike early. How costly will that prove for Punjab Kings?
Du Plessis ends the opening over in grand style with magnificent boundaries through the covers off the last two balls of the over.
19:09 Punjab elect to bowl; RCB drop Maxwell
Check out the playing XIs of the two teams:
Punjab Kings: Sam Curran (captain), Jonny Bairstow (w/k), Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone, Ashutosh Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Faf du Plessis (captain), Virat Kohli, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik(w), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson.
19:04 Punjab win toss; elect to bowl vs RCB
Punjab Kings captain Sam Curran has won the toss and elected to bowl against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in the 58th match of IPL 2024 on Thursday.
It is a virtual knockout game for both teams as a defeat would end their play-offs hopes.
Punjab have brought in all-rounder Liam Livingstone in place of pacer Kagiso Rabada.
Meanwhile, RCB have made a big change as they leave out Glenn Maxwell and include pacer Lockie Ferguson.
18:48 RCB face Punjab in battle of survival
Welcome to the coverage of the IPL 2024 match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharamsala on Thursday.
A resurgent Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look for their fourth consecutive victory when they face an unpredictable Punjab Kings as the two sides fight for their survival.
After a horrendous start to the season, RCB have managed to claw their way back into the tournament, having won their last three games comprehensively.
With eight points from 11 games, RCB need to win all their remaining three fixtures to keep their play-offs hopes alive.
Punjab Kings too stare at a similar situation. They occupy the eighth spot, having collected eight points from 11 games.
However, between the two -- only one team can reach the all-important 14 points mark.
Having beaten PBKS earlier in the season and heading to this clash with three wins on the trot, RCB will feel more confident than the hosts.
Virat Kohli remains consistent at the top, while skipper Faf du Plessis broke his string of poor scores with a belligerent knock in the last game.
Will Jacks also impressed with a match-winning century against GT, and Cameron Green showcased his all-round skills with crucial contributions in runs and wickets against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
PBKS, on the other hand, will be low on confidence having suffered an inexplicable batting collapse against Chennai Super Kings. The Kings showcased their very best and worst against CSK. Their bowlers were all over the CSK batters but the batting unit choked.
They have showcased their potential with away wins over Kolkata Knight Riders, when they recorded the highest successful run chase in T20 cricket, and CSK.
However, they have faced difficulties getting the job done at home. They won just one out of five games in Mullanpur, their main home ground.
A change in venue to the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium also didn't go their way in the previous game in Dharamsala.
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