Last Updated on 2 weeks by Charbel Coorey

PBKS vs RCB Dream11 Prediction & Fan2Play Possible 11 Pitch Report: IPL 2022 Match 3 | PBKS vs BLR Dream11 Prediction Today | Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bangalore Key Players | DY Patil Pitch Report

Two teams chasing a maiden title will do battle in one of the more intriguing matches early on in IPL 2022. Both Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore had busy auctions, with the former in particular entering the 2022 season with a new-look team.

We won’t see it in this match – the second of the day – as Jonny Bairstow is on national duty, but the Kings’ top order is a key strength of theirs this season. Also, when Kagiso Rabada starts his campaign after quarantine, their bowling attack will have a more potent feel to it. However, even without Bairstow and Rabada, there is plenty to look forward to for the Kings, with a number of domestic and overseas players looking to make a mark right away.

They will need to be on their game against an RCB team that looks to have one of the best bowling attacks on paper. Unlike seasons gone by, RCB have now focused on a strong bowling core, with Mohammed Siraj and Harshal Patel ones to watch.

And, there is the small measure of Faf du Plessis’ first game as an RCB player and captain. He is tasked with bringing glory to the franchise that has made some positive steps in the past two seasons, with his role as batsman and skipper to be under the spotlight. Also under the spotlight is Virat Kohli who is searching for his best form, as well as RCB’s middle order that could be a weakness this season with the great AB de Villiers now retired.

Possible Playing 11

Jonny Bairstow (England duty) and Kagiso Rabada (quarantine) will be unavailable for this match. So, two of Benny Howell, Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Nathan Ellis could get a game here.

Punjab Kings: 1. Shikhar Dhawan, 2. Mayank Agarwal (c), 3. Liam Livingstone, 4. Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 5. Shahrukh Khan, 6. Benny Howell/Bhanuka Rajapaksa/Rishi Dhawan, 7. Odean Smith, 8. Harpreet Brar/Ishan Porel/Sandeep Sharma, 9. Arshdeep Singh, 10. Rahul Chahar, 11. Nathan Ellis

Faf du Plessis will lead RCB in their quest of a maiden title. They have the option of opening the batting with Virat Kohli, with Sherfane Rutherford, Wanindu Hasaranga and David Willey all potential overseas options alongside du Plessis. Also, Finn Allen is available.

Australians Glenn Maxwell, Josh Hazlewood and Jason Behrendorff are unavailable as they are on national duty.

Royal Challengers Bangalore: 1. Faf du Plessis (c), 2. Anuj Rawat, 3. Virat Kohli, 4. Mahipal Lomror, 5. Dinesh Karthik (wk), 6. Sherfane Rutherford, 7. Wanindu Hasaranga, 8. David Willey, 9. Harshal Patel, 10. Shahbaz Ahmed, 11. Mohammed Siraj

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Punjab Kings:

• Shikhar Dhawan was a great pick by the Kings in the auction. Dhawan has been one of the most consistent players in recent seasons – he scored the fourth-most runs in IPL 2019 (521), the second-most in 2020 (618) and fourth-most again in 2021 (587) at an overall average of 39.23 and strike rate of 134.63 in this period.
• Dhawan has solid numbers against RCB, with 656 runs in 25 innings at an average of 32.80 and strike rate of 121.48.
• Mayank Agarwal will now lead PBKS, and it is a huge season for him. He has struck 865 runs in the past two seasons at an overall average of 39.32 and strike rate of 147.86. Agarwal has struck 195 runs in seven innings against RCB at an average of of 27.86 and strike rate of 145.52. Can he build on those numbers here?
• Agarwal’s prowess against good-length deliveries is a feature of his game. He has scored 321 runs off 216 deliveries against such deliveries from pacers in the IPL, as well as 232 off 167 off good-length deliveries to the spinners.
• Can Liam Livingstone make an immediate impact after a disappointing IPL 2021? He was one of the top players in all short-form cricket last year, with 1,301 runs at an average of 37.17 and strike rate of 155.07.
• Odean Smith is one to watch with bat and ball. He struck quickfire 36 and 24 in the recent ODI series vs India, and took 22 wickets in 14 T20s in 2021.
• Arshdeep Singh will be one of Punjab’s key bowlers this season, particularly at the death. The left-armer has not enjoyed bowling against RCB so far, with just the one wicket in two matches at an economy rate of 12.40. However, watch out for his wide line outside off, as he concedes just 7.20 per over and averages 20 per wicket with this type of delivery in the IPL.
• Harpreet Brar was player of the match against RCB in India last season: 25* (17) and 3/19.

Royal Challengers Bangalore:

• Faf du Plessis had a dream season in 2021 (633 runs, avg. 45.21, SR 138.20), and RCB fans will be hoping for more of the same. He has an outstanding record against Punjab (15 inns, 660 runs, avg. 60.00, SR 144.74).
• Expect PBKS to employ spin early as du Plessis strikes at just 114 vs wristspin, 116 vs slow left arm and 106 vs off spin in the IPL.
• Virat Kohli also has similar strike rates against spin, with his batting in the middle overs under the spotlight (SR of 103 between overs 7-11 in the IPL). Virat has the second-highest runs ever in RCB-PBKS matches (741) at an average of 29.64 and strike rate of 126.88. It will be interesting to see how Virat fares without the pressure of captaincy.
• Mahipal Lomror was an important purchase for RCB given his ability to attack spin in the middle overs. He averages 70 and strikes at 136 between overs 7-11 and will want to improve on his 25/128 in overs 12-16.
• Dinesh Karthik has a solid career record vs PBKS: 26 inns, 580 runs, avg. 32.22, SR 142.16.
• What a season Harshal Patel had in 2021. The seamer took the most wickets by an Indian in IPL history (32) and will be looking for more of the same this season.
• Mohammed Siraj’s battle against PBKS’s top order could be key to the result. He concedes just 6.8 per over in the powerplay in IPL, but has taken just two scalps in five matches vs PBKS at an average of 86.00 and economy rate of 10.12.

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 28, PBKS 15, RCB 13.
• RCB need to dismiss Mayank Agarwal early. The right-hander strikes at 169 between overs 7-11 in the IPL at an average of 36 in this period.
• Shahrukh Khan averages 27 and strikes at 184 between overs 17-20 in the IPL.
• Harpreet Brar concedes just 6.05 runs per over off good-length deliveries in the IPL (114 balls, 115 runs, four wickets).
• Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli strike at 219 and 218 respectively between overs 17-20. If one of them bats deep, RCB will be in a good state.

Dr DY Patil Sports Academy Mumbai Pitch Report and Weather

Teams batting second have won 10 of 17 matches on this ground. It is typically a pitch that has something in it for the pacers early, before slowing up throughout the match. The powerplay bowlers will certainly be key.

A warm and sunny day is forecast in Mumbai. A clear evening will likely mean dew. Expect the captain who wins the toss to choose to chase.

Dream11 Prediction

Note: The below teams are not based on the final playing XIs. We may not be able to update these in time. Use the stats and commentary in this article as well as your own instincts to create your teams.

Option 1:

Option 2:

Fan2Play Prediction

Base team:

• Wicket-keepers: Dinesh Karthik
• Batsmen: Faf du Plessis, Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal
• All-rounders: Liam Livingstone, Wanindu Hasaranga
• Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Arshdeep Singh

Match Prediction

Both teams are missing some key players. Chasing will likely be the way to go in the early matches, so the team who bats first needs to muster 170+ at least. RCB start as favourites, though, courtesy of their attack.