Punjab Kings will host the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the 27th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Both teams have some injury issues especially the Punjab side with their skipper Shikhar Dhawan missing out in the last game due to a shoulder injury. Dhawan underwent a fitness on the eve of the game but there is still enough doubt about his inclusion in the team. At the same time, Liam Livingstone is yet to play a single game despite joining a few days ago and there is still doubt over his availability for this game. On the other hand, Josh Hazlewood of RCB is under rehabilitation and is not available for the team.
The Punjab Kings side have so far won three out of five matches and have a good chance of making it to the top four while RCB will have to pull up their socks having lost three out of five matches. They lost a thrilling encounter against Chennai Super Kinga earlier this week but seem to be in good shape ahead of a crucial encounter against PBKS.
Match Details
Match: IPL 2023, Match 27
Venue: PCA Stadium, Mohali
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Broadcast and Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and JioCinema
Probable Playing XIs
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (C)/Atharva Taide, Prabhsimran Singh, Matthew Short/Liam Livingstone, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (C), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Dinesh Karthik (WK), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, Mohammed Siraj, Vyshak Vijaykumar
Pitch and Weather Report
The average first-innings total in Mohali in the IPL games in 175 while the average winning total at the venue is 186. Punjab Kings won their opening fixture this season at home against KKR after scoring 191 runs. However, they lost to Gujarat Titans in the following encounter. The pitch here has something in it for the pacers as well while the batting first also has a good enough chance to win the game. Hence, toss becomes irrelevant especially in the afternoon games.
Weather is set to be warm with rain unlikely to make its presence felt. The temperature will be around the mid-30s and it will get cooler as the day progresses.
Predictions
Best Batter of the Match: Virat Kohli
Virat Kohli must be disappointed that he got out early against CSK in the mammoth chase. The man has already scored three fifties so far and would be keen on adding more to his tally. A lot will depend on how he performs with the bat for RCB in this encounter.
Best Bowler of the Match: Wanindu Hasaranga
The boundary dimensions in Mohali are comparatively big and that might fall in Hasaranga's favour. The leg-spinner from Sri Lanka is a wicket-taker and his four overs will decide the fate of the match.
Who will win the Match: Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB)
