Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore will face off in Qualifier 1 of the IPL on May 29. Both sides have been excellent this season and share a lot in common. Neither team has won an IPL trophy, despite making it to the finals—PBKS in 2014 and RCB in 2016. PBKS topped the league table in 2014 but lost the final to KKR. Similarly, RCB topped the table in 2016 but lost the final to SRH. This could finally be their chance to put a trophy in their empty cabinet.
Past Form
Both teams have been in great form, delivering strong performances with both bat and ball. Punjab Kings have relied heavily on their uncapped players, especially the two openers: Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya. RCB is in a similar situation, with their skipper Rajat Patidar having just four international caps, and the hero of the last match, Jitesh Sharma, having nine.
In bowling, both sides will welcome back key players after brief layoffs. Josh Hazlewood will likely return for RCB after missing the last three matches due to a shoulder injury. Similarly, Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed the last couple of matches for PBKS, is expected to feature in Qualifier 1.
However, both sides will also be without at least one key player. Tim David, who has been RCB’s main finisher, is most likely to miss the qualifier due to injury. Marco Jansen, on the other hand, will travel to South Africa to join the WTC Final squad and won’t be available for PBKS.
Key Players
The standout key players for both teams are Shreyas Iyer for PBKS and Virat Kohli for RCB. Rich in experience, both batters are not only the top scorers for their respective teams but also rank among the league’s best. Shreyas Iyer has scored 514 runs in 14 matches with a strike rate of 172, while Kohli has amassed 608 runs with a strike rate of 148.
Team News
Both sides are expected to make at least one change to their playing XI. PBKS will likely bring in Azmatullah Omarzai to replace Marco Jansen. RCB may replace Thushara with Hazlewood, despite Thushara’s brilliant performance in the last match.
Probable XIs
Punjab Kings: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Shreyas Iyer (capt), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai, Kyle Jamieson, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh,
Impact Sub:Yuzvendra Chahal
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood
Impact Sub: Suyash Sharma.
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