Punjab Kings will take on the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) in a do-or-die clash in the 2024 edition of the IPL in Dharamsala on Thursday, May 9. The table has been such that there might be a possibility of a team sneaking into the playoffs with just 14 points and the team winning the clash will stay on that path and the team losing might be done for the season, like the Mumbai Indians with eight losses in the competition.
Both teams have played similar sort of cricket with them showing signs of being a champion team in a couple of games while being not there in the fight in others. RCB are on an upsurge while Punjab have been hot and cold like their whole season. With Shikhar Dhawan still not available, Punjab might stay with the same line-up but will need their batters to fire, if the track spins again, like it did against the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) in the first game at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium.
Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala pitch report
There were a lot of unknowns with the hybrid pitch, a first in India, in Dharamsala in the first match of the season at the picturesque HPCA Stadium amid the Himalayas. It played a lot slower than anyone anticipated as 167 was defended quite easily. There was help for the bowlers, both the seamers and the spinners as the likes of Simarjeet Singh were taking the ball from near the head high of the batters while Ravindra Jadeja and Rahul Chahar got purchase off the wicket. Expect a very similar surface for the RCB game as well, however, there will be one difference between the two games.
The CSK game was a day game and this one is in the evening and hence a bit more help for the bowlers in the second half and for the batters too as under the lights the ball could skid on and come better on the bat. With the lower temperatures, there is an expectation of dew as well and the captain winning the toss is expected to field first. It may not be a 200 wicket and might not be a 150-160 one as well, 180 could be a good score here.
