They are hanging on by the proverbial thread, but they are hanging on. Royal Challengers Bangalore have won two matches on the trot, they seem to have found the correct combination and now when they face Kings XI Punjab, perhaps, for the first time this season, Kohli's side can fancy their chances. However, KXIP, a team with 5 wins and 5 losses under their belt will have to be careful as another slump could well complicate their chances this season.
Here is a look at the predicted XI for this match:
RCB Predicted XI: Parthiv Patel (wk), Virat Kohli (c), AB de Villiers, Akshdeep Nath, Moeen Ali, Marcus Stoinis, Pawan Negi, Umesh Yadav, Navdeep Saini, Dale Steyn, Yuzvendra Chahal
KXIP Predicted XI: Chris Gayle, Lokesh Rahul (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Mandeep Singh, David Miller, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Hardus Viljoen, Ravichandran Ashwin (c), Mohammed Shami, Murugan Ashwin
Fantasy tips and suggestions:
Wicket-keeper: KL Rahul, who has been in rampant form this season, walks into the side ahead of Parthiv Patel. Although the latter has played a few significant innings for RCB this season, the impact of Rahul gets him the nod.
Batsmen: Big heavyweights will take the ground in this match. Chris Gayle will walk out for his team at Chinnaswamy Stadium with a record here that makes him a huge threat. Also, Virat Kohli and AB de Villiers should always be there in the side irrespective of the venue and conditions. The fourth batsman on the list should be Mayank Agarwal, somebody who has looked good all season but who needs to play an innings of note for his side when things get tricky.
All-rounders: Marcus Stoinis and Moeen Ali are two players who have rendered great balance to RCB and both should get a game before they jet off to join their respective World Cup squads. Also, RCB needs to send in Moeen at number 4 to extract the best possible use of the left-hander.
Spinners: Yuzvendra Chahal has been absolutely brilliant for RCB at Chinnaswamy and hence, should get a go in this side. Also, R Ashwin, who has found a way to not only contain rampant batsmen but also pick up their wickets, should be the other spinner in the playing XI.
Seamers: Dale Steyn has worked like a charm for Virat Kohli. 2 appearances and 2 wins, his energy both with the new ball as well as in the poweplay has infused vigour into rest of the bowling attack. Mohammed Shami has also found a second wind this season and has been very consistent for his side. His wicket-taking abilities with the new ball as well as in the death is great news for not only KXIP but also the Indian team for the World Cup.
