Welcome to the coverage of the IPL 2025 match between Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Mullanpur, on Sunday.
RCB have very little time to pick up the pieces after a debilitating loss as they eye a much-improved display from their batting unit in against in-form Punjab Kings.
With the exception of Tim David, the RCB batters had a night to forget as they slipped to 95 for 9 against PBKS in Bengaluru on Friday, losing the match by five wickets.
In a rain-curtailed 14-over-a-side match, the RCB batters cut a sorry figure, the likes of Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, skipper Rajat Patidar and Liam Livingstone failing miserably in front of their home crowd.
Come Sunday, and RCB, who are placed fourth in the points table, will bank on Salt and Kohli to provide an explosive start and the onus would be on Patidar, Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya and David to lend stability in the middle-order.
On the bowling front, Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar will be spearheading the attack but they will need a lot more support from people like Yash Dayal, Krunal and Suyash Sharma.
PBKS, on the other hand, are going great guns under Shreyas Iyer's leadership and are currently placed second in the standings with five wins in seven games behind table toppers Delhi Capitals.
What has stood out for PBKS this season is their bowling department.
Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett and Marco Jansen have been brilliant on the pace front, while leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal has reignited himself, taking crucial wickets in the middle overs.
As far as their batting is concerned, young Priyansh Arya, who had already hit a ton, and Prabhsimran Singh are expected to give a good start to PBKS innings.
In Iyer, Josh Inglis, Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh and Marcus Stoinis, PBKS boast of a strong middle-order.
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