Will RCB dominate lacklustre Punjab Kings? | IPL 2021 Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings: SWOT Analysis

Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Punjab Kings in match 26 of IPL 2021 at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. Here is the analysis of the two teams.

SWOT for PBKS

Strengths: The Indian pace duo of Mohammed Shami and Arshdeep Singh have emerged as a successful bowling combination for the team. The two bowlers compliment each other well. While Shami bowls fast and can surprise the batsmen with occasional bouncers, Arshdeep makes life tough with his slow deliveries and pinpoint yorkers. Together, they have scalped 14 wickets. While Shami is averaging 24.14, Arshdeep is averaging 21.42.

Weaknesses: Misfiring batsmen have been behind most of the losses for the team. If KL Rahul’s inputs are to be discounted, then only Mayank Agarwal and Deepak Hooda have managed fifties. More is expected of Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran. If other batsmen don’t start delivering now, it would be too difficult for PBKS to qualify for the playoffs.

Opportunities: Last season, KL Rahul had two games against RCB. In one match, Rahul hit an unbeaten 132* and in the second, Rahul scored 61. This is an opportunity for Rahul to improve his record further against RCB.

Threats: PBKS are suffering from poor form. The team has managed just one win from its last five fixtures. Lack of form could hurt the team’s chances in this match. Also, with the league stage almost reaching the half-way mark and the team stuck in the lower half of the table, PBKS would be starting to get desperate for wins. Poor form and pressure of expectations could weigh the team down.

SWOT for RCB

Strengths: As expected, a star-studded batting line-up comprising Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell and AB de Villiers is living up to the expectations. These four batsmen have together hit five half-centuries and a hundred. If Kohli or Padikkal get out early, then Maxwell and de Villiers are guiding the middle-order to the end. RCB has one of the best batting line-ups among the eight teams.

Weaknesses: RCB’s last two matches have shown that their death-over bowling is still not up to the mark. Against CSK, Harshal Patel was smashed for 37 runs by Ravindra Jadeja. Then, against DC, Shimron Hetmyer and Rishabh Pant turned on the afterburners in the late stage of their chase and attacked Mohammed Siraj and Kyle Jamieson to pull off a heist. Virat Kohli should be careful that the woes of yesteryears don’t come back and haunt the team mid-way through the season.

Opportunities: Against a struggling PBKS side, RCB have a chance to register an emphatic win and improve their net run rate (NRR) and steer themselves clear from the chasing pack. A poor NRR had seen RCB slip to third spot in the points table for a while. But this is the chance for Virat Kohli’s men to return to the top of the points table.

Threats: RCB’s recent form against PBKS has not been inspiring. Last season, RCB lost both matches against PBKS — once while batting first and then chasing a target. Kohli would hope that history doesn’t repeat itself.

Head-to-Head

Matches played: 26

PBKS: 14

RCB: 12

Form Guide (last five matches)

PBKS: L-W-L-L-L

RCB: W-L-W-W-W

Team News

New Zealand fast bowler Scott Kuggeleijn has joined Royal Challengers Bangalore as a replacement for Australian quick Kane Richardson. Kuggeleijn was part of the Mumbai Indians squad as a net bowler in Delhi and RCB arranged for a bubble-to-bubble transfer on April 27. No injury concerns for PBKS.

Deccan Herald’s Dream XI

KL Rahul (wk), Chris Gayle, Devdutt Padikkal, Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Glenn Maxwell, Kyle Jamieson, Harshal Patel, Yuzvendra Chahal, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi

Impact player for PBKS

KL Rahul: The PBKS skipper is yet again doing the bulk of scoring for his team. Rahul is the team’s leading run-scorer with 240 runs. In six matches, Rahul has hit three fifties. If Rahul can just improve his strike rate a bit, then his contribution with the bat will become more effective. Still, Rahul is one batsman that RCB bowlers should be vary of.

Impact player for RCB

AB de Villiers: The South African batsman is in prime form. AB de Villiers have already hit two fifties this year and is averaging 68.00 and hitting the ball at an impressive strike rate of 174.35. In RCB’s previous match, de Villiers struck a fifty and pulled his team out of a precarious situation. The Punjab bowlers should have a special plan for de Villiers or else it would be difficult to contain him.