RCB vs PBKS Highlights, IPL 2021: Royal Challengers Bangalore beat Punjab Kings by 6 runs, reach playoffs

Good first over for RCB. Virat Kohli got away with a boundary and he is looking in good form.

Mohammed Shami on the other end.

Virat Kohli and Devdutt Paddikal come out to bat for Royal Challengers Bangalore. Aiden Markram starts the attack for PBKS. HERE WE GO!

Sanjay Bangar | RCB batting consultant: It's a better team combination as compared to last season. A few roles have been changed, Kohli has been consistent as an opener and AB de Villiers has been given the role of a finisher. The middle-order looks solid as Maxwell has performed well and Bharat looks in good touch too. We can make a few changes depending on the conditions, but for now it looks like a settled batting order.

Three changes for PBKS.

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

KL Rahul: I would have wanted to bowl, so not that disappointed at losing the toss. Our domestic performances are something that we are very proud of. That is what the IPL is about. Hopefully they can continue and they can grow ahead as well, which would be good for the Indian team as well. Three changes: Fabian is injured, so Harpreet comes in for him. Sarfaraz Khan comes in for Hooda and so does Moises Henriques for Ellis.

Virat Kohli: “We'll bat. Looks like a really nice and hard wicket. We understand that the pitches tend to slow down here, precisely why we want to bat first and put pressure. We are playing the same side. We feel we have enough depth in all departments in our lineup. We got Harshal into our side on a trade and that is a signal to the players. He has understood his role. Maxwell has been moving around a lot and we gave him the freedom, and he is enjoying his time here with us as well. To be honest, this pitch looks much better than the last game we played here. If we play well, we could get those 20-25 extra runs which could be the difference. You need to make sure you get those runs and not leave them on the field. You need that momentum.”

Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore have made no changes to the team.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (Playing XI): Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, George Garton, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli wins toss, elects to bat first against KL Rahul's Punjab in Sharjah.

“It's not planned (on PBKS last over finishes), but we have planned to finish off the chases in the 19th over, if we can. I read the situation and adapt according to it. As a number 6, you encounter different situations. My practice was going well and I got a chance in the last game. I only thought about hitting boundaries right from the first ball. We are taking one game at a time, can't be thinking too far ahead. We are not thinking about results at the moment.”

– Punjab Kings' Shahrukh Khan on Star Sports

“Quite a lot of breeze and the conditions have really cooled down. The seamers have taken 43% of their wickets on slower deliveries off a back of a length. As a batsman, when you are looking to hit down the ground, the slowness of the wickets makes them lose their shape. Also, the boundary on one side is huge. It's going to be a 130-wicket, a battle of attrition and I am keen on seeing how batsmen adjust to these conditions that don't suit them at the moment,” says Matthew Hayden on Star Sports.

Virat Kohli (c), Devdutt Padikkal, KS Bharat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dan Christian, Wanindu Hasaranga/George Garton, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

The toss between Virat Kohli's Royal Challengers Bangalore vs KL Rahul' Punjab kings will take place in 30 minutes. Are you ready?

Punjab Kings Predicted XI: 1 KL Rahul (Captain, WK), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Nicholas Pooran, 4 Aiden Markram, 5 Deepak Hooda, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Harpreet Brar, 8 Ravi Bishnoi, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Arshdeep Singh, 11 Mohammed Shami

"These are things that kill me as a captain - leaving out young Indian boys. Chris [Gayle] has left the bubble, so we had to make a few changes to see what would be our best XI. But we go to Sharjah for the next game, and we'll see..." - KL Rahul

"That's been the USP of our team in the last two games. Through the middle overs, our bowling has been amazing. With the bat as well, we have been getting good opening starts which gives a lot of balance to the team. That's been the focus with Dev and myself - to get good starts. Everything is coming along nicely and people are making contributions at the right time." - Virat Kohli on RCB getting into the groove at the right time.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore Squad: Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, George Garton, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachin Baby, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tim David, Akash Deep, Suyash Prabhudessai

Punjab Kings Squad: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Adil Rashid, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Murugan Ashwin, Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Ishan Porel, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh

- Opening partnerships against RCB in the last four games: 82, 71, 57, 77

- KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal partnerships in the last three games vs RCB: 78, 57, 59

- Both Chahal and Bishnoi have taken 7 wickets each in this UAE leg of IPL 2021 at rather similar economy rates of 5.57 and 5.92 respectively.

(Source: Cricbuzz)

Matches: 27

Won: RCB-12, PBKS-15

HS (RCB) vs PBKS: 226

LS (RCB) vs PBKS: 84

HS (PBKS) vs RCB: 232

LS (PBKS) vs RCB: 88

Hello and welcome to our live blog on IPL 2021, Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Punjab Kings. The stage is set for an epic encounter between the present of Indian team and perhaps, the future of Indian team. Who will come out on top?