IPL 2024: Punjab Kings Win Toss, Opt To Field First Against Royal Challengers Bengaluru; Check Playing XIs

Dharamshala: The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 has heated up as only nine teams remain in contention for the playoffs. In a crucial match-up tonight at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamshala, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will lock horns in a must-win encounter to keep their playoff dreams alive.

After a shaky start with just two wins in eight games, PBKS have clawed their way back with consecutive victories against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK). However, a loss to the defending champions in their second meeting has left them precariously placed at number eight on the points table with four wins from 11 matches.

Faf du Plessis’ men mirrored PBKS’s initial struggles with six consecutive losses. But they’ve shown remarkable resilience, bouncing back with three crucial wins against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Gujarat Titans (GT).

While RCB secured their first win this season against PBKS, historically, PBKS hold the upper hand, winning 17 out of 32 encounters.

The sole match played at Dharamsala this season saw CSK defeat PBKS on a slow track favouring spinners. However, being a day-night game, tonight’s game is expected to be a high-scoring affair, similar to Dharamsala’s batting-friendly history. Winning the toss might prompt the captain to choose bowling first.

Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik(w), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Lockie Ferguson

RCB Impact Subs: Anuj Rawat, Suyash Prabhudessai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Dayal, Mayank Dagar

Punjab Kings: Jonny Bairstow(w), Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Sam Curran(c), Liam Livingstone, Ashutosh Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa

PBKS Impact Subs: Harpreet Brar, Tanay Thyagarajan, Rishi Dhawan, Jitesh Sharma, Nathan Ellis