Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) teams would like to maintain the momentum of their excellent performance in the group stage in Qualifier-1 as well. Although the teams in the top two in the points table get two chances to reach the final, both Punjab and RCB will be eyeing a direct place in the title match. Punjab finished first and RCB second in the group stage.
Punjab has reached the playoffs after 11 years.
Punjab Kings have made it to the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The credit for this goes to the duo of Iyer and head coach Ricky Ponting who changed the culture of the team and gave it a new look. On the other hand, RCB had to face defeat many times in the knockout stage and this time it is hoping to end the title drought. In their own words, the work is only half done for both the title contenders.
Will Chahal be able to make a comeback?
The opening pair of Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have set the stage for the likes of Iyer and Josh Inglis. Finisher Shashank Singh has constantly improved his game while Australian player Marcus Stoinis has made the batting even stronger by discovering his potential with the bat. The area of concern for Punjab is the bowling department, especially after the departure of South African fast bowler Marco Jansen, who has returned home to play for the national team. Jansen bowled crucial overs in the powerplay and death overs and the team will miss him. Kyle Jamieson has raised some hopes in his first match, but he will have to bowl better to make an impact. All-rounder Azmatullah Omarzai can also replace Jansen. Leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal missed the last two matches due to a finger injury. He is expected to return in this important match and form a strong pair with Harpreet Brar, who always bowls accurately. RCB will have hope from Kohli
RCB also had concerns about the injury of some players in the final stages of the tournament but that has been largely overcome. Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood is expected to be fully fit and Tim David will also be available for selection, which will bring more balance to the team. RCB has been dependent on their top-order batsmen for the past several years, but it seems that is changing after players like Jitesh Sharma have shown their ability in the middle order. Jitesh played the best innings of his IPL career on Tuesday night and his confidence will be sky-high before going into the playoffs. From the team's point of view, it will be important that Phil Salt bats at his best explosively in the powerplay and Virat Kohli continues to bat the way he has been doing throughout the season.
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