PBKS take on RCB for spot in IPL final

The opportunity to grab the golden ticket to the IPL final will drive both Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bengaluru to be at their best in Qualifier 1 here on Thursday.

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The winner of the game will directly qualify for the final and take either the Kings or RCB to within touching distance of their maiden IPL title. For RCB’s Virat Kohli, the wait has been 18-year long.

So far, the Kings have had a memorable run with a totally revamped side under new coach Ricky Ponting and new captain Shreyas Iyer. However, their performance at this ground has been less than satisfactory, with two wins out of four games this season. One of their defeats came against RCB, when Kohli posted an unbeaten 73.

Though RCB are also familiar with heartbreaks of the knockout stages, this year they are more balanced and have displayed their efficiency while defending and chasing.

The comeback of Jitesh Sharma, who scored his first half-century of the season in their win against Lucknow Super Giants on Tuesday, is a good sign for the RCB middle-order. It will give greater freedom to top-order batters Phil Salt and Kohli to be aggressive during the powerplay. The likely return of Tim David will give RCB’s batting greater depth.

In their win over PBKS here, RCB’s bowlers had managed to restrict the hosts to 157. And pacer Josh Hazlewood’s expected return is a big boost for the team.

Meanwhile, Iyer’s inspiring leadership will face its toughest test against RCB. Kings find themselves in unfamiliar territory having made the playoffs for the first time since 2014. But they don’t seem to be carrying the baggage of the past in the Iyer-Ponting era.

PBKS have remained a batter-heavy side with the likes of Prabhsimran Singh and rookie Priyansh Arya giving them explosive starts. The recent promotion of Josh Inglis also helped the side build a solid innings. It will be important for the trio to perform against RCB to release pressure off the middle-order. Finisher Shashank Singh is also expected to come loaded with his selection of shots.

However, the concerns lie in the bowling department, especially after the departure of South African Marco Jansen, who has returned home for national duty. Jansen bowled crucial overs in the powerplay and death. Kyle Jamieson has shown promise but will need to bowl better upfront to make an impact. Batting all-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai could take Jansen’s spot. The Kings will be hoping for the return of leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who missed the last two games due to a finger injury, even as Harpreet Brar did a commendable job in the senior spinner’s absence.