Preview:
Royal Challengers Bangalore are on their way towards cementing a playoff spot. With collective bowling and batting performances, they pulled off a 7-wicket victory over Rajasthan Royals on Wednesday. Glenn Maxwell is in sublime form and he is the key player for them. Virat Kohli and his boys have lost their last three matches against Punjab Kings and they need to be more careful this time around. They currently sit at the third spot in the standings with 14 points.
Punjab King, on the other hand, kept their playoffs chances alive with a last-over win against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday. The tournament is wide open and there are five teams battling for the remaining playoff spots. Kings finally found their finisher in the form of Shahrukh Khan. However, they still mainly rely on their openers. Punjab must win their remaining matches to give themselves a chance of seeking into the playoffs.
Match Details:
Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings, Match 48
Venue: Sharjah Cricket Stadium, Sharjah
Date &Time: October 3rd at 3:30 PM IST, and at 2:00 PM local time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report:
It’s a completely contrasting surface to what we saw last year. The seamers are getting more help and the batters have struggled to score runs in the second leg.
Probable Playing XIs for RCB vs PBKS:
Royal Challengers Bangalore
Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, Kona Srikar Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, Shahbaz Ahmed, Kyle Jamieson/George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammad Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal
Punjab Kings
Lokesh Rahul (c & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen/Moises Henriques, Nathan Ellis, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
Top Picks for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Match:
Top Picks – Batters
Devdutt Padikkal has impressed the cricketing world with his aesthetic shots and also with his temperament. He was the Emerging Player of the Tournament in the last edition of the IPL and is extending his good run of form In 10 matches so far in this IPL, he has scored 309 runs at an average of 34.33.
Mayank Agarwal is a consistent performer for Punjab Kings at the top of the order. He likes to be busy at the crease and did really well for his 40 runs against Knight Riders. Overall in this tournament, he has scored 372 runs in 10 matches at an average of 41.33.
Top Picks – All-Rounders
Glenn Maxwell is a dangerous customer with the bat and he is heading into this match on the back of 2 successive half-centuries. He is the leading run-scorer for RCB in this IPL with 350 runs in 10 innings and has picked up 3 wickets as well.
Top Picks – Bowlers
Harshal Patel is leading the highest wicket-takers list by quite a distance. With his deceptive bowling, he has caused plenty of damage for the opposition batters at the death overs. In 11 matches, he has scalped 26 wickets, with the best figures of 5/27.
Arshdeep Singh is the leading wicket-taker for Punjab Kings in this edition. In 10 matches, he has bagged 16 wickets at an economy of 7.71.
Top Picks – Wicketkeepers
Lokesh Rahul was the player of the match in the last game against Knight Riders for his responsible knock of 67 runs from 55 deliveries.
Kona Srikar Bharat is getting pressure off from the other batters. RCB have found a reliable number 3 in him, and he is exceptional behind the stumps as well. In 3 innings in this IPL, Bharat has scored 92 runs, with the highest score of 44.
RCB vs PBKS Must Picks for Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
| Player | Statistics (This Tournament) | Dream11 Points |
| Devdutt Padikkal | 309 runs | 499 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 350 runs and 3 wickets | 620 |
| Harshal Patel | 26 wickets and 50 runs | 865 |
| Lokesh Rahul | 489 runs | 739 |
| Mayank Agarwal | 372 runs | 566 |
Suggested Playing XI No.1 for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Lokesh Rahul, Kona Srikar Bharat, Mayank Agarwal (vc), Aiden Markram, Devdutt Padikkal (c), Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh, Ravi Bishnoi, Yuzvendra Chahal
Suggested Playing XI No.2 for RCB vs PBKS Dream11 Fantasy Cricket:
Lokesh Rahul (c), Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, AB de Villiers, Aiden Markram, Glenn Maxwell (vc), Shahbaz Ahmed, Mohammed Siraj, Mohammad Shami, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh
RCB vs PBKS Risky Captaincy Choices:
AB de Villiers is not getting plenty of opportunities to bat since he is batting at number 5 for RCB in the last few matches. However, we all know that he can be lethal when he does get a chance. Considering this, he is a risky captaincy pick for your fantasy teams.
Aiden Markram is a stylish batter who likes to play his shots down the ground. In 4 matches in this IPL, he has scored 113 runs at an average of 37.66. You can take a risk and pick him as your fantasy team skipper.
Player you should avoid:
Nicholas Pooran averages 8.2 with the bat in this IPL. Considering his current run of form it’s better to avoid him while making your fantasy teams.
