With their back pushed to the walls, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) managed to string together a couple of handsome victories, the latest was against the then table-toppers Chennai Super Kings (CSK). MS Dhoni almost snatched the match from their grasp at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore, but eventually, Virat Kohli & Co. won the game by one run to remain alive in the tournament.

Their next game is against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) again at home and RCB can draw heart from the fact that they defeated Ravi Ashwin’s men in their last meeting. In the meantime, Punjab needs to be on their toes as well as another defeat couldn’t land their campaign in the doldrums. They last lost against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Feroz Shah Kotla and are placed in the fifth position on the points table.

Match Details:

The 42nd game of the IPL between RCB and KXIP will be hosted by the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

The match starts at 08:00 PM local time (14:30 GMT).

The game will be live on Star Sports in India. (Live streaming on Hotstar).

Weather Conditions

According to AccuWeather, there are no chances of rain as of now. The temperature will start at 30-degree Celsius at 8 pm and will come down to around 25-degrees Celsius by the close of the game. The humidity won’t be a factor either.

Last five completed T20 matches: (Most recent- first)

Average first-innings score: 184 – 3 Night matches in IPL 2019

Record of chasing teams: Won – 1, Lost – 2

Royal Challengers Bangalore – W, W, L, W, L

Kings XI Punjab – L, W, L, L, W

Pitch Condition/Report:

The pitch at this venue has been a good one for batting and runs have come at a fair clip. But the bowlers have also reaped benefits. The track isn’t expected to change much and another high-scoring game is well and truly on the cards.

Probable Playing XI:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Parthiv Patel (WK), Virat Kohli (C), AB de Villiers, Akshdeep Nath, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav/Kulwant Khejroliya, Dale Steyn, Navdeep Saini, Yuzvendra Chahal

Bench – Devdutt Padikkal, Himmat Singh, Milind Kumar, Gurkeerat Singh Mann Umesh Yadav/Kulwant Khejroliya, Shivam Dube, Tim Southee, Prayas Ray Barman, Washington Sundar, Shimron Hetmyer, Colin de Grandhomme, Heinrich Klaasen

Kings XI Punjab

KL Rahul (WK), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, David Miller, Mandeep Singh, Sam Curran, Ravi Ashwin (C), Harpreet Brar, Hardus Viljoen, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami

Bench: Karun Nair, Simran Singh, Varun Chakravarthy, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Darshan Nalkande, Agnivesh Ayachi, Andrew Tye, Moises Henriques, Ankit Rajpoot, Arshdeep Singh, Nicholas Pooran

Power Picks:

Chris Gayle vs RCB in IPL: 4 inns 191 runs 99* Best 63.66 average 1 fifty

Captain and Vice-Captain Selection:

Captain Options: Chris Gayle, Virat Kohli, KL Rahul, AB de Villiers

Vice-Captain Options: Moeen Ali, AB de Villiers, KL Rahul

Suggested Playing XI No.1 for Head to Head/ Small Leagues:

Keeper – Parthiv Patel

Batsmen – Chris Gayle (VC), David Miller, AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli (C), Akshdeep Nath

All-Rounders – Ravi Ashwin, Moeen Ali

Bowlers – Mohammed Shami, Dale Steyn

Suggested Playing XI No.2 for Grand/Mega Leagues:

Keeper – KL Rahul

Batsmen – Mayank Agarwal (C), AB de Villiers, Virat Kohli, Akshdeep Nath

All-Rounders – Sam Curran, Marcus Stoinis, Moeen Ali (VC)

Bowlers – Murugan Ashwin, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal

IPL-2019-RCBvKXIP-ROyal-CHallenger-Bangalore-vs-Kings-XI-Pujab-IPL-2019-FANTASY-TIPS-FOR-DREAM-XI-MATCH

Expert Advice:

Picking all of Rahul, Gayle, De Villiers and Kohli is literally impossible as they take up 42 credits making it tough to pick the other 7 players inside 58. Considering the form and other aspects one can go for Rahul, Gayle, and AB.

Probable Winners:

The Royal Challengers should be able to get over the line.

*Disclaimer: This team is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While selecting your team, consider the points mentioned and make your own decision.