IPL 2022 PBKS vs RCB Preview - Every game a must win for Punjab now

Key match stats PBKS vs RCB

Pitch Stats – Brabourne Stadium

Average first innings score: 177
Average first innings winning score: 199
Average powerplay score: 52
Win % batting 1st vs batting 2nd: 46% / 54%

Team form PBKS vs RCB
PBKS – LWLWL
RCB – WWLLL
Recent meetings: PBKS won by 5 wickets

PBKS vs RCB Preview

With just over a week left in the round robin stage of the IPL we are getting down to the kind of matches like today's fixture between where a win is crucial for at least one of the 2 sides involved.

RCB have arrested a run of 3 straight defeats with back to back victories which now means they hold their destiny in their own hands. Win their remaining 2 games and they are through. Lose 1 or more and it becomes a little more interesting particularly if that loss were to come in the match today.

None of the sides currently below RCB in the table can gain more than 8 wins this season (16 points) but even if Bangalore reach that mark they still have to be concerned about their net run rate which is inferior to both Delhi Capitals and Sunrisers and should they lose today could yet become inferior to the Punjab Kings too who make up the 3 teams that are hunting them down for 4th spot.

To add extra pressure in this game RCB will need to play current league leaders Gujarat Titans in their final match which occurs on Thursday next week, ahead of the 3 sides mentioned above all playing their last fixtures. It's imperative then that Bangalore get the job done early rather than sitting and waiting nervously for others to slip up.

Of course, if you're a glass half-full kind of RCB supporter you might be looking the other way, up the table and thinking that you could still knick a spot in the top 2...

For PBKS, it is very much a case of them needing to record 3 wins in their last 3 games. The good news for them is that all of their remaining fixtures starting with today's clash against RCB are against the teams that they are challenging for 4th spot! They play DC next Monday and then Sunrisers in the very last match of the round robin a week on Sunday.

It would be great if one or both of those teams in that final fixture still had a chance of qualifying but it's going to be a tall order for Punjab given their inferior net run-rate. Not only are they going to need to win those 3 games, they are going to need to do so convincingly and consistency has been hard to come by all season for the Kings.

Team	Score	Opposition	Year
RCB	68	SRH	2022
PBKS	115	DC	2022
Deccan Chargers	115	MI	2010
Delhi Daredevils	144	MI	2010

IPL records at the Brabourne Stadium - only 4 teams have ever scored under 150 here with RCB and PBKS recording record low totals this year

The Brabourne has generally been the most batsmen friendly pitch of the tournament to date but both these teams have had their struggles here earlier in the season with PBKS having won their first game here (match 11 vs CSK) but losing their last 2 while RCB have lost both previous fixtures.

In theory some of the big hitters from both sides should enjoy the conditions and some short boundaries on offer but it's the continuing struggles of both team's top orders that mean we can't take runs on the board for granted regardless of the venue they play at.

PBKS vs RCB head to head

RCB bowling vs PBKS batting

IPL 2022 has seen RCB struggle to take wickets in the powerplay while by contrast PBKS have struggled not to lose them!

RCB were level with Mumbai Indians on just 13 wickets taken in the powerplay until yesterday's game where the bottom placed team flattened CSK's top order within 25mins of the start of the game. How they'd love the likes of Siraj and Hazlewood to deliver something similar today.

Hazlewood vs Dhawan T20 head to head

Hazlewood has been accurate and economical at the begin of matches going as he is at an economy of just 5.6 in the powerplay behind only Mohsin Khan and Sandeep Sharma as the most economical bowlers during the first 6 overs of IPL 2022 (min 50 PP balls bowled). His match-up against the PBKS top order who generally like to get a move on will be crucial in this game.

However, Mohammed Siraj who has bowled more overs than any other bowler for RCB this season has been very disappointing with just 8 wickets at an average of over 50 and economy approaching 9 and a half an over. When you consider that many of the pitches in IPL 2022 have offered some early swing and seam then Siraj's lack of both control and wickets is even more of a concern for RCB and frankly he's lucky to have kept his place in the side for so long.

Bowler	Powerplay Economy	Powerplay Strike Rate
Mohammed Siraj	9.2	36.0
SN Thakur	8.6	51.0
Mukesh Choudhary	8.5	18.0
K Rabada	8.5	15.8

Bowlers with an economy rate of more than 8 an over in the powerplay during IPL 2022 (min 15 PP overs bowled)

Given that PBKS have now shifted Jonny Bairstow up to open the batting, RCB may be tempted to bring spin into the equation early. Their go to option in that regard throughout the season has been Glen Maxwell but in previous meetings Bairstow has shown his distain for the Aussie's off-spin by striking at a whopping 314.3 against it. Granted he's only faced 7 balls from Maxwell in his career but more generally speaking the Yorkshireman averages just shy of 40 against right arm finger spin with a strike rate of over 144.

Hasaranga and Shahbaz Ahamad combined T20 head to head stats vs Bairstow

The better option then may be to use either Hasaranga or Shahbaz Ahamad against Bairstow. Again we only have a relatively small sample size for direct head to heads but both bowlers have dismissed him before in T20s and Bairstow's career average (25.3) and strike rate (119.9) is lower vs left-arm spin than any other type of bowling.

PBKS bowling vs RCB batting

Virat Kohli's struggles at the top of the order continue. The former captain has the unenviable record of the most ducks in IPL 2022 (3), a record that he shares with KL Rahul. However, the later has managed to accumulate 459 runs in between those failures while Kohli sits on 216 with just a solitary half century to his name.

Things won't get any easier for him in this match! I've already highlighted in a previous blog the ridiculous head to head that Kohli has against Sandeep Sharma who has dismissed him 7 times in the IPL while he has similarly struggled against the in form Kagiso Rabada who has already claimed wickets in 8 of the powerplays he's bowled in (10 in total) during IPL 2022 and who also has a very good record against former international teammate Faf du Plessis (dismissed twice in 13 balls faced).

Rabada vs Kohli T20 head to head

Rather than the established names in the RCB squad it's been the likes of Patidar and Lomror who have come into the side and helped turn things around after a tricky middle part of the season.

Batsmen	vs Type of bowling	Average	Strike Rate
MK Lomror	LFM	6.0	54.5
MK Lomror	SLA	n/a	84.2
RM Patidar	LFM	9.0	81.8
RM Patidar	SLA	19.5	111.4

Patidar and Lomror T20 records vs left-arm bowling

Early indications for both players is that they don't favour the left-arm angle of either spin or pace. Arshdeep Singh then could be a factor against both and might PBKS consider recalling Harpreet Brar for both that reason and the fact that he performed so well against RCB in last year's IPL.

All stats used in this blog are from my own database which is freely accessible at T20 head to head. Images are my own with the exception of player profiles and background images which are used under a creative commons license or otherwise royalty free