It’s the business end of the tournament and every game is a virtual knock out for one or the other team. The best part about the final few games is that some or the other team who isn’t a part of the game is badly waiting for the game to end in a way that they wish for. Viewers are in for a cracker of a contest on Sunday.
KL Rahul’s Punjab will be up against Virat’s rampaging RCB side who doesn’t seem to put a foot wrong this season. Every passing game’s performance makes fans wonder the same thing “Ee Saala Cup Namde?” Is it going to be this year that Virat Kohli finally breaks the deadlock and wins an IPL Trophy? He has all the resources at his disposal to win an IPL Trophy. Cricket can be a funny game sometimes. You might be on top of the world when it comes to individual records but still have nothing to show in the trophy cabinet for your team.
This battle always produces runs. KL Rahul has scored heaps of runs against Bangalore. Who can forget KL Rahul’s heroics last year where he took the best in the world Dale Steyn to the cleaners to score 132 off just 69 balls and lit up Dubai? The return leg had KL Rahul written all over it yet again which was played at Sharjah where Punjab chased down 171. It was the brilliance of the same guy who anchored the innings with a well-crafted 61. Fast forward to this year when the first leg was played in India, KL Rahul blasted 91 off just 57 balls to sink RCB at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. KL Rahul has a cheat code against RCB. Punjab might have 99 problems but beating RCB isn’t 1. They somehow bring their A game to the fore when they are up against RCB.
Key Battle:
Ravi Bishnoi vs Ab De Villiers
Ravi Bishnoi has proved to be a match winner for Punjab in the last few games. He is economical and a wicket taking bowler at the same time. Under Anil Kumble, he must have learned some tricks too to ply his trade. Ab De Villiers hasn’t set the world on fire in the 2nd leg, but you can never count a player like ABD out. The battle in the middle overs between these 2 would be an intriguing one. Only time will tell who comes out on top.
Players to watch out for
KL Rahul, the adopted son
Sunday’s game can also be called “KL Rahul Derby”. KL Rahul is a fan favourite in Punjab now whereas he still plays Ranji Cricket for Karnataka, so he has that connection with Bangalore. He loves scoring against RCB. 284 runs in the last 3 innings against the same side speaks volumes about the class and the measure of the man. He would want to continue scoring against his home team for the 4th game in a row. Punjab still stand in with a chance to qualify though, so expect a nail-biting affair.
Virat Kohli, the face of RCB
Virat Kohli has been with the RCB franchise since its inception but is yet to win an IPL Trophy. This might be the year where he can get his hands on the trophy that has been eluding him for so long now. He has already announced that he won’t be leading RCB next year and has also declared that India’s campaign in the T20 WC would be his last assignment as a skipper. He needs to get things right now as a skipper as there won’t be another chance for him to do it. He has started scoring, looks confident, has almost qualified, still he won’t take many chances as 1 loss and some results here and there can put RCB in trouble as well. He needs to start well against Shami.
Likely 11:
Punjab Kings:
Punjab Kings are likely to go in with the same side that defeated KKR last match. Pooran’s form is a worrying sign for them but they do not have many choices either as Gayle has left the bubble and won’t play further part in this IPL.
KL RAHUL (C & WK), MAYANK AGARWAL, AIDEN MARKRAM, NICHOLAS POORAN, DEEPAK HOODA, SHAHRUKH KHAN, FABIAN ALLEN, HARPREET BRAR, RAVI BISHNOI, MOHD SHAMI, ARSHDEEP SINGH.
Royal Challengers Bangalore:
RCB literally crushed RR in their last game chasing 150 in just 17 overs. Maxwell treated Morris with utter disdain who was one of the costliest picks in the auction. Yuzvendra Chahal has got his rhythm back after missing out on a World Cup berth but it has come at a great time for RCB. RCB has no reasons whatsoever to tinker with a winning combination but as Kohli is known for making changes don’t be surprised if he brings Jamieson back just to knock over Rahul in the powerplay.
VIRAT KOHLI (C), DEVDUTT PADDIKAL, SRIKAR BHARAT (WK), GLENN MAXWELL, AB DE VILLERS, DANIEL CHRISTIAN, KYLE JAMIESON, SHAHBAZ AHMED, HARSHAL PATEL, MOHD SIRAJ, YUZVENDRA CHAHAL.
DREAM 11 TEAM:
It is always tough to pick a Dream 11 side when you have RCB playing. You almost need to have everyone in your team in order to consider yourself safe. ABD who hasn’t batted much will likely be ignored by everyone, but we are picking him up. He can be a great punt considering the low ownership that he has.