IPL 2024, Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs Punjab Kings: 3 Key Battles To Watch Out For

RCB were dished out a lesson by the reigning champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the opening match whereas PBKS tasted victory over Delhi Capitals with a four-wicket win.

RCB collapsed against CSK despite handy contributions from Anuj Rawat and Dinesh Karthik to take them to a decent total. Mustafizur Rahman was the tormentor in-chief as he struck twice to trigger a slide for the Men In Red as the likes of Glenn Maxwell and Virat Kohli too, looked rusty at the crease.

With PBKS clinching a morale-boosting win over DC, this tie sets up nicely with RCB in need of a win and especially in front of their home fans on Holi.

Here are the three key player battles to look out for between RCB and PBKS Match:

1) Faf du Plessis vs Kagiso Rabada

The all-South African match-up that could be a mouth-watering affair at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Faf du Plessis is known to give fast starts to his RCB side and despite Virat Kohli taking his own time at the other end, the former Proteas captain could be crucial for his team if they are to claim a victory in Bengaluru. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium track is known to be a belter but that won't dither Kagiso Rabada one bit. The pacer's ability to swing the ball both ways, could tormer Du Plessis especially early on in the innings. This match-up between the two is unmissable!

2) Virat Kohli vs Sam Curran

Despite making 21 off 20 deliveries, Virat Kohli looked way off and his long break away from cricket was visible to everyone. However, one cannot doubt the star batter's ability and on home turf, he is a differnt animal altogether. Sam Curran might have bowled just one over against DC in their first match but he could be brought on against Kohli. The Englishman's batting heroics helped PBKS win by four wickets in match 2 of the IPL 2024 and could again be crucial in their match against RCB on Holi.

3) Mohammed Siraj vs Jonny Bairstow

If one Englishman wasn't enough, it's time for another as Jonny Bairstow looks to lead his side to victory against Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Monday. The wicketkeeper-batter has a great record against the RCB pacer with a strike rate of 230 and is yet to be dismissed. However, Mohammed Siraj knows a thing or two about Bairstow from their recent battle in the five-match Test series, and could bring all the intel into this match on Monday. If Siraj starts to weave his magic with the ball, then Bairstow might have to bring 'Plan B' to the fore. A great battle awaits in Bengaluru!

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Squad: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Anuj Rawat(w), Dinesh Karthik, Karn Sharma, Alzarri Joseph, Mayank Dagar, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Akash Deep, Suyash Prabhudessai, Swapnil Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Lockie Ferguson, Mahipal Lomror, Will Jacks, Manoj Bhandage, Saurav Chauhan, Rajan Kumar, Himanshu Sharma, Tom Curran, Reece Topley.

Punjab Kings Squad: Shikhar Dhawan(c), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma(w), Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Tanay Thyagarajan, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Chris Woakes, Rishi Dhawan, Sikandar Raza, Ashutosh Sharma, Atharva Taide, Nathan Ellis, Shivam Singh, Prince Choudhary, Vishwanath Singh.