Venue: Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue (1st inns): 177
Win percentage while batting first: 46.15%
Pitch conditions:
- The Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai has produced balanced pitches for the recent three games played here, but the venue will bring back some haunting memories for Bangalore who were shot out for 68 by Hyderabad here earlier in the competition.
- In the last 5 matches played here, teams batting second have won 3 matches while the ones who batted first won the remaining games.
- The pacers will have their tasks cut out at this venue since their wicket-share is only 62%, which is low compared with the other venues. The spinners have got the remaining 38% of the wickets.
Weather prediction:
The skies will be clear on Friday evening after a cloudy day in Mumbai, with the temperature being steady at 30°C during the match hours. The humidity levels will be between 75-80%.
HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORD (overall):
Matches played: 29
Bangalore won: 13
Punjab won: 16
No result: -
Top 3 players from Bangalore: Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, Wanindu Hasaranga
Top 3 players from Punjab: Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each):
Top 5 players from Bangalore: Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Glenn Maxwell
Top 5 players from Punjab: Shikhar Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Mayank Agarwal
Q & A:
Fantasy tips and tricks: Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
The 4th-placed Bangalore will look to continue their winning momentum having won their last 2 matches, while the pressure will be firmly on Mayank Agarwal and Anil Kumble’s Punjab who have yet again had a season replete with promise but very less delivered. Punjab have more defeats (6) than wins (5) and Bangalore will want to exploit the shortcomings of the Mayank Agarwal-led side, with inconsistency being their biggest concern. For this contest, it will be wise to add more to the batting strength while carrying a good number of fast bowlers.
Fantasy tips: From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
Bangalore are certainly the stronger side for the clash at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. The team captained by former South Africa skipper Faf du Plessis, Bangalore have 7 wins from 12 matches and 5 losses giving them 14 points and a 4th place standing in the points table. On the other hand, Punjab are in the 8th spot with 5 wins and 6 defeats coming from 11 matches. But if the Net Run Rate (NRR) is to be considered, Punjab will face an extremely tough time moving up in the points table since they have -0.231, which is the second worst among all teams so far. Bangalore’s NRR is also in negative but on an overall scale they are the stronger side and should have more players featuring in the fantasy cricket playing XI.
MORE INFORMATION: The road to the playoffs might be over for Punjab after their refurbished side produced yet another season of high promises and regular failures. Their all-aggressive approach right from the mega auction in February 2022 backfired, since the team has failed in maintaining momentum and also have had several of their players struggling for form. On the other hand, Bangalore will take this chance to take extend their points to an overall 16, something that they need given their NRR. Bangalore’s NRR of -0.115 is set to give them a headache since the mid-table battle will intensify in the coming days, whereas it is a prerequisite for Punjab to win all their remaining matches to stand a chance of finishing in the top four.
PLAYERS’ FORM: V Kohlii has remained a massive concern for both Bangalore and the Indian cricket given the kind of run he has had in the tournament with the bat. The former skipper has been dismissed for first-ball ducks at least thrice, while he has failed to garner runs in rapid manner in the outings where he was successful. Faf du Plessis continues to blow hot and cold but Rajat Patidar has added a lot of value to their top order. For Punjab, all they need is a collective performance for one final push as flashes of individual brilliance do not take any team the distance they want to go in this tournament.
Changes in squad (if any): NO
LIKELY XIs:
BANGALORE: Faf du Plessis (capt), V Kohlii, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
PUNJAB: Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rishi Dhawan, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, 1 Sandeep Sharma
FANTASY XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Bhanuka Rajpaksa, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Liam Livingstone, Wanindu Hasaranga, Josh Hazlewood, Arshdeep Singh, Kagiso Rabada.
Devarchit Varma is a cricket writer and journalist with an experience of more than a decade, having worked at Hindustan Times (newspaper) and CricketCountry (website). Along with covering international and domestic cricket, he has also interviewed several current and former top players such as Rohit Sharma, Steve Smith, Dale Steyn, Michael Hussey, Jacques Kallis, Brendon McCullum, Shane Watson, Lasith Malinga and many more. He has also worked in other beats as a journalist in Bollywood (Reliance BigOye) and IT (SiliconIndia) industries.
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