After facing a couple of defeats, the Punjab Kings have managed to regain their confidence and momentum by winning their latest match against the Lucknow Super Giants. However, their batting lineup is heavily reliant on the performance of Shikhar Dhawan. While he has been in good form, scoring two half-centuries in his four matches, the other batsmen have struggled to maintain consistency. Prabhsimran Singh, who played a fantastic innings of 67 runs in the match against the Rajasthan Royals, has failed to make an impact in the next three games, scoring just four runs in total. Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, and Matthew Short have shown glimpses of good form but have failed to convert their starts into substantial scores. Sikandar Raza, the Zimbabwean all-rounder, scored a half-century in the last match, which will give him some confidence going forward. Arshdeep Singh has been the most successful bowler for the team this season, having taken eight wickets, but has also been slightly expensive. Nathan Ellis, Sam Curran, and Kagiso Rabada have all given away too many runs, which has put extra pressure on the bowling unit. The team’s lack of a quality spinner is also a concern, with Rahul Chahar being the only option available. If the Punjab Kings want to continue their winning momentum, they need their key players to step up and perform consistently, especially in the batting department.
The Royal Challengers Bangalore had a tough time in their recent match against the Chennai Super Kings, where they lost despite a brilliant batting performance. Despite the loss, the team’s batsmen have been performing well, but the bowlers need to step up their game. In the 5 matches played so far, RCB has conceded more than 150 runs in each match and more than 200 runs in 3 of them. Harshal Patel has struggled with an economy rate of over 10.00, which is a departure from his previous seasons’ performances. Vijay Kumar Vyshak, who had a great debut against the Capitals, was taken for a whopping 62 runs in the last match. The only bright spot in the bowling department has been Mohammad Siraj, who has taken 8 wickets so far. On the batting front, the top order comprising of Virat Kohli, Faf Du Plessis, and Glen Maxwell has been in excellent form, but the middle-order needs to perform better, especially Dinesh Kartik. With a focus on improving their bowling performance and middle-order batting, RCB will be looking to bounce back in their upcoming match against the Punjab Kings. More IPL match prediction for today can be obtained from the link provided.
