Highlights, IPL 2021, RCB vs PBKS Full Cricket Score: Bangalore reach playoffs with 6-run victory

Sensational Maxwell! 

Too much left for the end by Punjab once again. Got over the line in the previous match, but should have been more attacking in the beginning . Can’t blame finishers for this.
And for Bangalore, Maxwell has been sensational #RCBvPBKS

— Virender Sehwag (@virendersehwag) October 3, 2021

RCB looking hot! 

Second season in a row. #RCB are through to the playoffs. And this year they’re looking much better than last year. Race is on for only the fourth place. #IPL2021

— Aakash Chopra (@cricketaakash) October 3, 2021

RCB bowlers were good but the massive credit should go to Maxwell. On a tough wicket, he played a brilliant knock to ensure RCB put up a par total. Punjab Kings tried their best but once the opening partnership was broken, things became a lot tougher for them in the chase. They remain fifth on the table – 10 points from 12 matches.

Harshal Patel does the job in the final over and RCB win the match by six runs. It also means that RCB have made it to the playoffs.

Henriques smashes this one over deep mid-wicket. But it has come too late. Eight needed in one ball.

Run out! 

Slow yorker by Harshal, Henriques blocks it and calls for a single. Shahrukh fails to cross the line in time as Harshal picks up the ball and disturbs the stumps. Shahrukh Khan run out (Harshal Patel) 16(11)

After 19 overs,Punjab Kings 146/5 ( Shahrukh Khan 16 , Moises Henriques 3)

After the boundary, Shahrukh tries a big shot again and misses it. RCB appeal for a caught behind and it’s not given by the on field umpire. They take the review but nothing on the  ultraedge so the batsman survives. The pacer wants to keep the ball away from the batters. He concedes a wide but does really well in the final two balls, executing the yorker lengths. 19 runs needed in the final over.

Siraj bowls full and wide, Shahrukh slices and finds the boundary in the third-man area.

After 18 overs,Punjab Kings 138/5 ( Shahrukh Khan 11 , Moises Henriques 1)

Shahrukh Khan won it for Punjab last time and he needs to do them the favour again in this match. Good for Punjab than he’s already hit a big six. Harshal Patel finishes his over with a good slow ball which beats Shahrukh. 10 off the over. Punjab need 27 in 12 balls.

Huge six by Shahrukh! Sends the straight ball over deep mid-wicket. 92 metres!

After 17 overs,Punjab Kings 128/5 ( Shahrukh Khan 2 , Moises Henriques 0)

Another good over for RCB as Garton removes Markram and concedes only seven runs. He comes back well after conceding a boundary off the first ball. The change in pace gets him the wicket. Markram plays a similar shot earlier in the over, the ball falls safely but no such luck the second time.

Markram tries to clear the long-on fielder but doesn’t get the timing right. Christian takes the catch. Markram c Christian b George Garton 20(14)

Back of a length and slower ball by Garton, Markram heaves. Off the inside edge and the ball runs towards deep backward square for four

After 16 overs,Punjab Kings 121/4 ( Aiden Markram 15 , Shahrukh Khan 0)

Yuzvendra Chahal is on a mission and he’s proving his detractors wrong one match at a time. Since he was dropped from Team India squad for T20 World Cup, he’s bowling brilliant spells for RCB. He almost had a third wicket in the over when Shahrukh Khan flicks takes a leading edge and the ball is inches wide of the bowler.

Are you listening?

Chahal spinning it RCB’s way in a deadly spell, and also serving reminder to the selectors that his skills haven’t diminished and ambition’s still alive

— Cricketwallah (@cricketwallah) October 3, 2021

Absolute beauty by Chahal! Flight and turn to beat Sarfaraz. Golden duck for the batsman. Sarfaraz Khan b Chahal 0(1)

Oh nicely done! Markram targets the straight boundary against Chahal and just about manages to beat the long-off fielder.

Chahal strikes and it’s the big wicket of Mayank! The batsman gets a top edge on his sweep, Siraj runs from short third man position and takes the catch behind the keeper. Mayank c Siraj b Chahal 57(42)

After 15 overs,Punjab Kings 113/2 ( Mayank Agarwal 57 , Aiden Markram 7)

Siraj is up and running. A dot off the first ball and then Markram takes a single. Mayank should go for the big shots in this over. He gets a boundary off an edge but the next ball is dropped short by the pacer, Mayank pulls but finds the fielder so just one run. Markram scores a boundary off the fifth ball and takes a single in the last one. Better over for Punjab, they need another 52 runs in 30 balls. This has all the makings of a last-over thriller.

Wide and full by Siraj, Markram slices and finds the boundary behind point.

Thick edge and the ball runs to the boundary. Four for Mayank against Siraj.

After 14 overs,Punjab Kings 102/2 ( Mayank Agarwal 52 , Aiden Markram 1)

Garton is back into the attack. Aiden Markram is the new batsman and he goes for a whip towards the leg-side but is beaten. Garton then bowls a slow ball, well outside off-stump, Markram drives with hard hands and is beaten again. Superb over as he concedes only two runs. The required run-rate is now 10.5 as the umpire shows his watch to call for a timeout.

After 13 overs,Punjab Kings 100/2 ( Mayank Agarwal 51 , Aiden Markram 0)

Yuzvendra Chahal into the attack. Couple of wides in the over, the ball missing the tramline. Single to Mayank and he completes his half-century. Another fifty for the Punjab opener but he knows the job is not done yet. Chahal finishes the over with a wicket and a single. Nice stuff by the leg-spinner.

Pooran’s poor run continues. Goes for the sweep, gets a top edge and Padikkal takes the catch at fine-leg. Kohli is pumped. Pooran c Padikkal b Chahal 3(7)

After 12 overs,Punjab Kings 94/1 ( Mayank Agarwal 48 , Nicholas Pooran 2)

Harshal Patel into the attack. He is sticking to his strengths, fuller lengths and taking the pace off the ball and he does well again. Just two singles in the over. The required run-rate is closing on nine.

After 11 overs,Punjab Kings 92/1 ( Mayank Agarwal 47 , Nicholas Pooran 1)

Shabhaz Ahmed provides the breakthrough for RCB. They were desperate to break the partnership. Rahul probably wanted to up his strike rate so he charges down but didn’t get the connection. Good ball by Shahbaz because it came a tad slower. 11 runs plus a wicket. Nicholas Pooran is the new batsman.

Finally a breakthrough! 

Rahul steps up, misses the connection, the outside edge takes the ball into the hands of short third man fielder. Rahul c Harshal Patel b Shahbaz Ahmed 39(35)

Wow! Mayank takes on Shahbaz and clears the straight boundary.

After 10 overs,Punjab Kings 81/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 38 , Mayank Agarwal 38)

Chahal has the ball. A dot and then Rahul pushes it to leg-side to get off strike. After the boundary, bowls a quicker one targetting the stumps but Mayank plays the ball well. He tires a lofted one in th efinal ball and concedes second boundary of the over. Nine runs off the over.

Another boundary. Mayank goes over the bowler’s head. The placement is perfect as the ball beats both long-on and long-off fielders.

Top shot. Tossed up by Chahal, room offered and Mayank clears the cover fielder with a superb drive.

After 9 overs,Punjab Kings 72/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 37 , Mayank Agarwal 30)

Shahbaz is back into the attack. Mayank tries to target the deep square leg area again but he misses his sweep. This is a better over by the spinner as he gives away only five runs.

After 8 overs,Punjab Kings 67/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 33 , Mayank Agarwal 29)

Dan Christian makes the mistake of going the leg-side with no pace on the ball, Mayank knows the field and he does well to collect four runs behind short third man. Much better line in the rest of the deliveries but nothing too troublesome for the batsmen. A boundary to end the over. Punjab need 98 runs in 72 balls.

Slow and short by Christian. Mayank says thank you with a pull.

Dan Christian drifts down the leg side, Mayank sends it over short third man for a boundary.

After 7 overs,Punjab Kings 56/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 31 , Mayank Agarwal 20)

In-form leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is into the attack. First up is a tossed up delivery on the stumps, Rahul knocks it down to long-off for one run and that also brings the 50-run partnership. It has come in good time and without losing any wickets. The field has spread so Chahal is tossing the ball, hoping the batsmen will take the bait but they don’t. Five singles and a double.

After 6 overs,Punjab Kings 49/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 26 , Mayank Agarwal 19)

Harshal Patel, the purple cap holder into the attack. He starts off with a slow yorker to Rahul who blocks it. Another slow ball, this time it slightly back of a length and takes Mayank by surprise. He pushes it forward, Harshal dives to his left but he’s inches short. He follows it up with slow bouncer, Mayank sends it in the air on the leg-side but it’s safe. Just three runs from this over and timeout called.

After 5 overs,Punjab Kings 46/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 24 , Mayank Agarwal 18)

Not a good start by Shahbaz who concedes a six and boundary in the first three balls. The spinner then drifts down the leg, Mayank misses his flick and Bharat disturbs the stumps. Third umpire is called to check the stumping but the batsman is safe. The umpire also checks for a caught behind but the ball is missing the bat. 13 off the over.

Nicely played. Mayank opes the face of the bat and finds the gap in the cover region.

Shahbaz Ahmed starts off by conceding a six. Straight over bowler’s head for a maximum by Rahul.

After 4 overs,Punjab Kings 33/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 16 , Mayank Agarwal 13)

Despite the six off the first ball, Garton sticks to bowling short. There’s a quick bouncer to Mayank but the square umpire calls it wide for height. Two singles and Mayank is back on strike. This time Garton goes round the wicket over, bowls a short one which Mayank fends it towards fine-leg area. Again, height is an issue so umpire signals a no ball and it’s a free hit. Rahul’s doesn’t get the connection on his scoop so free hit results in only one run. Costly one for RCB, 14 off the over.

Short and slow by Garton. Mayank gets the connection on his pull and the ball goes to the stands behind square.

After 3 overs,Punjab Kings 19/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 14 , Mayank Agarwal 3)

A four, two singles a huge six. Siraj then corrects his length and line, keeps it tight and traps Rahul. There’s a big appeal for a LBW and the umpire raises his finger. Rahul wastes no time in taking review and it’s the right decision. The ball hits the pads after taking an inside edge. A dot to end the over. 12 off it.

Oh huge! 

Rahul picks up the slower ball by Siraj and sends it to the highway outside the ground. 101 metres!

Thick outside edge, there’s no third man and four runs for KL Rahul.

After 2 overs,Punjab Kings 7/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 3 , Mayank Agarwal 2)

Left-arm pacer George Garton into the attack. He bowls a short ball to Mayank who is little early on his pull and they appeal for a catch after Bharat collects the ball. Umpire says no and nobody’s sure so they don’t the review. It’s the right call as the ball brushes the arm before going into keeper’s gloves. Another short ball, Mayank picks it this time but it goes to deep square-leg fielder on one bounce. A slow yorker to end the over. Good over.

After 1 overs,Punjab Kings 3/0 ( KL Rahul (C) (W) 1 , Mayank Agarwal 1)

Siraj starts off with a full, wide delivery, Rahul drives and is off the mark with a single to deep point. Mayank is also off with a single to deep cover. The fourth ball comes back in sharply, making it awkward for Rahul but plays it out. A one run leg bye to end the over. Three off the first over.

Time for the chase. Not an easy target so Punjab openers need to start good. Skipper Rahul to take the strike. Mayank Agarwal is on the other end. Mohammed Siraj has the ball.

PBKS need 165 to win! 

This is not going to be easy because it looks like the with is getting slower. RCB made full use of their powerplay and that has helped them to get to a solid 164/7. Maxwell was the star of their innings. His blitzkrieg coupled with some smart batting helped RCB shake off the lull that came in middle over. Kohli, Padikkal and ABD made useful contributions. Henriques took three wickets and showed the slowness from the pitch can be difficult to negotiate.

After 20 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 164/7 ( Srikar Bharat (W) 0 , Harshal Patel 1)

Three wickets in the final of the match. Shami’s figures (3/39) suddenly look a lot better. Maxwell got out, slicing his drive to point. Shahbaz and Garton got bowled. Still, RCB, on the back of their excellent powerplay batting, have 164/7 here — the most at Sharjah in this IPL.

OUT! George Garton b Mohammed Shami 0 (1)

Shami cleans up Garton! Another fuller delivery does the job. Garton was looking for a paddle but the ball was too quick for him.

OUT! Shahbaz Ahmed b Mohammed Shami 8 (4)

Fuller form Shami and he breaks the stumps as Shahbaz was trying to flick it after shuffling across.

WICKET! Glenn Maxwell c Khan b Mohammed Shami 57 (3)

Maxwell slices the short slower into the hands of the fielder at point. Excellent innings comes to an end.

After 19 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 156/4 ( Glenn Maxwell 57 , Shahbaz Ahmed 1)

ABD departs! The first ball was hit down the ground by ABD for a six. Second ball, he tried a quick single with a drive to cover but Sarfaraz affected a direct hit from there to get AB run out. Maxwell finishes the over with a pull shot four. 16 from the over.

Slap-pull by Maxwell against Arshdeep’s short ball for a boundary through square leg area.

WICKET! AB de Villiers run out (Khan) 23 (18)

Excellent fielding effort from cover by Sarfaraz. Fullish ball outside from Arshdeep is driven to cover and RCB was looking at runs but a direct throw has sent ABD back to the hut.

Maximum! Arshdeep misses the mark and ABD swats the fuller ball down the ground.

After 18 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 140/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 50 , AB de Villiers 17)

Eight from the over so not that bad an over by Bishnoi. He was brought in against right-handers to restrict them and manages to do so to an extent. Maxwell got a boundary with a switch hit and also completed his fifty.

Fifty for the Big Show! Fifth of the season. His move to RCB has fetched great rewards for the batter.

FOUR! Maxwell produces the switch hit to target the short boundary through cover off Bishnoi.

After 17 overs, RCB 132/3

Finally, ABD gets going! Maxwell got a four on the first ball by whipping the full ball to square leg. Three singles and then on last two balls ABD produces the firework. Length ball is driven on off for four. Another length ball is deposited into stands down the ground. 17 off the over.

Big! Length ball but closer to ABD and he shuffles across for a shot down the ground.

What a shot by ABD! Length ball on off and ABD drives it through mid-off and cover gap.

Shami misses the yorker length and Maxwell smashes it to deep square leg.

After 16 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 115/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 37 , AB de Villiers 6)

Last over for Henriques. A single and dot ball as RCB take two on the third ball. Brar with overthrow at non-striker’s end and RCB convert the single into two. Three singles from the last three balls. Henriques finishes with figures of 3/12.

After 15 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 109/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 34 , AB de Villiers 4)

Big over for RCB! Maxwell and ABD run excellently between the wickets to take two runs on first ball. Two back-to-back sixes by Maxwell after this targeting the small boundaries on the leg-side. 16 from Bishnoi’s over.

Another fuller delivery from Bishnoi! This has been hit straight like a line down the ground by Maxwell.

Out of the ground! Tossed up ball from Bishnoi is whacked over wide of long-on by Maxwell.

After 14 overs, RCB 93/4

Just four from Henriques overs. Three singles and a leg bye. The tight lines are keeping Maxwell and ABD in check. In three overs, Henriques have figures of 3/7.

After 13 overs, RCB 89/3

Expensive over this from Harpreet! Two big sixes from Maxwell as RCB break the shackles. ABD and Maxwell have the foundation to go big here. 16 from the over.

Huge this! Outside the ground. Another full ball from Harpreet and Maxwell blasts this over mid-wicket.

Short ball by Harpreet has been thrashed over deep mid-wicket by Maxwell.

After 12 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 73/3 ( Glenn Maxwell 3 , AB de Villiers 0)

Henriques keeps taking wickets for PBKS. This time Padikkal departs edging his cut shot to Rahul who does well behind the stumps. Just two from the over.

WICKET! Devdutt Padikkal c †Rahul b Henriques 40 (38)

Padikkal was looking to play a cut shot but nicked it to the keeper. Excellent catch by Rahul.

After 11 overs, RCB 71/2

Harpreet continues. Thick outside edge Maxwell on the first ball but Rahul fails to get his gloves down in time. Just two from the over.

After 10 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 69/2 ( Devdutt Padikkal 38 , Glenn Maxwell 1)

What a bowling change for PBKS! Henriques into the attack and takes two wickets. The pitch has certainly slowed down. Padikkal struggled to time his shots and got a run after two dot balls. Kohli wanted to go for a slog across the line but got bowled as the ball stayed down. Dan Christian got out on the first ball as his slice shot was taken by Sarfaraz at the backward point. Two from the over.

OUT! Dan Christian c Khan b Henriques 0 (1)

Back-to-back wickets for Henriques! Dan Christain departs getting out on the first ball. He went for a slice shot but Sarfaraz takes a top catch at backward point.

OUT! Virat Kohli b Henriques 25 (24)

Henriques castles Kohli! Bowling change gets PBKS the wicket. Kohli was aiming for a slog across the line but the ball kept too low to beat the bat and hit the stumps.

Strong words.

Terrible umpiring, mistakes like that is unforgivable with so much technology and help these days! #RCBvsPBKS #IPL2021

— Kris Srikkanth (@KrisSrikkanth) October 3, 2021

After 9 overs, RCB 67/0

Harpreet continues. Appeal for BW n first ball against Padikkal as the batter paddled it to short fine leg. It was pitching down leg and umpire was not interested. Kohli got the strike with the leg bye. Three dot balls and then a six with a slog sweep to mid-wicket. Dot ball to end the over.

Kohli goes big with the slog sweep over deep mid-wicket off Harpreet.

After 8 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 60/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 19 , Devdutt Padikkal 37)

Big moment in the game! After constantly getting beaten by Bishnoi’s googly, Padikkal attempts a reverse sweep and Rahul appeals for a caught behind. Not out given and he takes a review. There was some spike for the ball brushing against the gloves but the third umpire gave it not out. Rahul had an argument with the umpire as none of us could understand what just happened. Just three from the over.

REVIEW AND NOT OUT! 

After two dot balls, Padikkal decides to play a reverse sweep against Bishnoi’s googly. It looked like he missed again but Rahul was interested and took a review. Some activity on UltraEdge but it has been given not out and Rahul is furious.

After 7 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 57/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 19 , Devdutt Padikkal 35)

Harpreet Brar into the attack now. He had dismissed Kohli, Maxwell and de Villiers in this fixture in India. Fantastic start for the left-arm spinner as RCB only collect two runs from the over.

After 6 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 55/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 18 , Devdutt Padikkal 34)

Excellent start by RCB in the powerplay! On a slow track on Sharjah, it is important to make use of field restrictions. 13 from this Arshdeep over with Padikkal smashing a full toss over the bowler’s head for a six. A fuller delivery was flicked off pads for a four. PBKS’ bowling and fielding have been poor.

A tickle by Padikkal to fine leg with the fielder in the circle. Poor fuller ball from Arshdeep.

Full toss from Arshdeep has been whacked down the ground by Padikkal.

After 5 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 42/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 17 , Devdutt Padikkal 23)

Poor fielding strikes again! Sarfaraz is not the best of them but he should have held onto this Kohli catch at mid-wicket. But he didn’t and Kohli got a boundary on the next ball with a flick to fine leg. 8 from Shami’s second over.

Easy this for Kohli. Shami bowls full on leg and the batter tickles it to fine leg ropes.

DOPPED! Another lifeline for Kohli. He plays this straight to mid-wicket but Sarfaraz drops him.

After 4 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 34/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 10 , Devdutt Padikkal 22)

What a start by Bishnoi! Both openers get a lifeline. Kohli was beaten on the leg by a wide delivery. The batter was out of the crease but Rahul failed to collect the ball. Padikkal edged a slog. This was a googly and Rahul again failed to hold onto the ball. Two boundaries in the over for Padikall with two lofted shots down the ground. 10 from the over.

This one was hit more straight by Padikkal off Bishnoi. Down the ground slog.

Googly from Bishnoi and Padikkal goes through with a slog across the line for a boundary at long-on.

After 3 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 25/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 9 , Devdutt Padikkal 14)

Arshdeep Singh replaces Markram and starts off with an overpitched leg-side ball that Padikkal whips over the deep mid-wicket fence. The next ball is sliced to third man fence for a four. A wide and three dot balls. The last ball is lofted over mid-on but Markram does well to cut off the boundary. 13 from the over.

Padikkal throws his bat at the fuller delivery and the slice runs to the fence.

First maximum of the day. Padikkal shimmies down against Arshdeep and slams the leg-side fuller delivery over mid-wicket.

After 2 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 11/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 9 , Devdutt Padikkal 2)

Mohammed Shami bowls from this end. Kohli cuts the first delivery to deep point for a single. Short ball to Padikkal who ducks under it awkwardly. The opener gets a single with a tickle to fine-leg. Two more singles plus a straight drive on last ball by skipper Kohli for a double. Six from the over.

After 1 overs,Royal Challengers Bangalore 5/0 ( Virat Kohli (C) 5 , Devdutt Padikkal 0)

Decent start for Markram. He began with a dot ball abut then bowled a short one that was pulled to square leg fence by Kohli for a four. The batter got off the strike with a single. Three dot balls to Padiakkal who is cramped for room with the angle coming in from round the wicket.

Half-tracker by Markram has been swatted to square leg by Kolhi with a pull shot.

Action about to start! Aiden Markram will be bowling the first over for PBKS. Kolhi and Padikkal are at the crease.

We are six minutes away from the start of action at Sharjah! PBKS will be bowling first. Batting first has not been easy at this ground and RCB surely have a massive challenge in front of them but with Kohli and ABD in your ranks, you are never worried. PBKS need to win today to stay alive in playoffs race.

PBKS XI: KL Rahul(C & wk), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh

KL Rahul: “I would have wanted to bowl, so not disappointed with losing the toss. We are proud of (domestic players doing well). Hopefully, they can continue doing the same.”

Virat Kohli: “This pitch looks much better than last game. If we have a platform set, we can have 20-25 runs extra. The pitch should slow down with time.”

Three changes for PBKS: Harpreet Brar comes in for Fabian Allen. Moises Henriques in for Nathan Ellis. Sarfaraz Khan in for Deepak Hooda.

RCB XI: Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, George Garton, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal

Toss: Virat Kohli wins toss and decides that RCB will bat first against PBKS at Sharjah. No changes for RCB.

Deadly duo! 

Big grin ✅

Big scores, loading 👍#VIVOIPL | #RCBvPBKS pic.twitter.com/KQdFctKZcI

— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) October 3, 2021

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Virat Kohli(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Srikar Bharat(w), Glenn Maxwell, AB de Villiers, Daniel Christian, George Garton, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Yuzvendra Chahal, Dushmantha Chameera, Sachin Baby, Kyle Jamieson, Navdeep Saini, Pavan Deshpande, Rajat Patidar, Mohammed Azharuddeen, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tim David, Akash Deep, Suyash Prabhudessai

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Adil Rashid, Mandeep Singh, Chris Jordan, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Murugan Ashwin, Sarfaraz Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Ishan Porel, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Prabhsimran Singh

Players availability

RCB don’t have any injury issues. For PBKS, they are without Chris Gayle who has left due to bio-bubble fatigue. Fabian Allen suffered an injury in the last match and could miss today’s game.

Head to Head 

Punjab Kings lead this battle 15-12 and have won the last three games against RCB. KL Rahul and Co have the edge here it seems.

India vs Australia

Final day of the India Women’s Day/Night Test is being played at Carrara Oval right now. India are 83/2 in the second innings and lead by 217 runs. 

Click here to follow the match

Points table update

PBKS are fifth with 10 points and RCB are third with 14 points. PBKS need to win today to stay alive in playoffs race. RCB can seal playoffs spot with a win today.

Preview

Eyeing their first IPL title triumph, RCB are currently placed third in the pecking order with seven wins and four defeats for a total of 14 points.

Another two points from a win will almost assure them of a place in the place-offs but for that, RCB will need get past Punjab Kings who are coming off a morale-boosting win against Kolkata Knight Riders.

Click here to read the copy

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the IPL 2021 match between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Punjab Kings.