FANTASY
Follow UsPunjab Kings will come face to face against Royal Challengers Bangalore in Match 3 of the Indian Premier League 2022 at Dr DY Patil Sports Academy in Mumbai on Sunday (March 27). The two franchises will be under new leadership, with Faf du Plessis taking over Bangalore’s captaincy from Virat Kohli, while Mayank Agarwal has been given the same responsibility at Punjab. Still eying their maiden title triumphs, both teams will be eager to make a strong statement first up.
HEAD TO HEAD
Overall 28 | PBKS - 15 Wins | RCB - 13 Wins
Team Combination and Ground Details
The Dr DY Patil Sports Academy hasn't hosted an IPL game since 2011. Hence, there is no helpful data available. In the past, the surface has offered enough assistance to the fast bowlers and spinners but we will have to wait and watch how the pitch reacts on Sunday. It would still be ideal to have at least two spinners and a couple of all-rounders in your team to keep things balanced.
Overseas stars missing
Both franchises will be without some of their certain starters and might find it difficult to come up with a balanced unit. Kagiso Rabada has joined the Punjab squad but the South African paceman will only be available from the second encounter. Meanwhile, England’s Jonny Bairstow is currently in West Indies and Punjab will have to go with either of Jitesh Sharma or Prabhsimran Singh as their wicketkeeper. On top of that, they will also be without Australian paceman Nathan Ellis who is currently with the national side in Pakistan.
Talking about RCB, the newly married Glenn Maxwell will miss at least the first two matches. Meanwhile, Australian seamers Josh Hazlewood and Jason Behrendorff will only be available after April 6. Bangalore have enough depth in the bowling department but will surely miss the services of Maxwell who was phenomenal for them in the last season.
Team Suggestion
The team we've picked has a good mix of world-class batters and bowlers. But remember, while you could go for the above team, you also have the option of choosing your team from Cricket.com’s Fantasy Research Centre. You can use this tool to build your team with the help of algorithms. Then, based on your preferences, the platform will guide you through creating the ideal fantasy XI.
Captain Selection
RCB have put a lot of faith in Faf du Plessis and the franchise would expect the former Chennai Super Kings batter to start the season on a solid note. The right-handed opener was phenomenal in the last edition, smashing 633 runs in 16 innings at an average of 45.21 and a strike rate of 138.20. He also had a pretty decent Bangladesh Premier League earlier this year, and on top of that, du Plessis loves playing against Punjab. In 13 innings against Punjab, the former South African captain has amassed 660 runs at an average of 60 and a strike rate of 144.7.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts du Plessis to score 19-29 runs.
X-Factors
Shikhar Dhawan might not be part of India’s T20I set-up but the left-hander has been one of the most consistent players in this competition over the last few years. Since 2018, Dhawan has smoked 2223 runs in 65 innings at an impressive average of 39 and a strike rate of 135.1. His rise as a T20 batter has been phenomenal and he does the job of holding one end up while hitting timely boundaries well, especially in the middle overs.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Dhawan to score 18-28 runs.
Wanindu Hasaranga is going to be a key man for RCB this season. He was called in as a replacement in the second half of IPL 2021 but only got to play two games in which he conceded at 10 runs per over. However, it will be unfair to judge him based on those two games as he is someone who is a proven performer in the format. The legspinner has been Sri Lanka's biggest match-winner in T20Is in the recent past and has established himself as one of the best spinners in world cricket.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Hasaranga to score 10-14 runs and pick 1-2 wickets.
Here are the top-10 picks as per Criclytics projected points
Match-Ups
Virat Kohli will have to be slightly careful against Sandeep Sharma. The right-arm seamer had dismissed Kohli three times in 28 deliveries. Meanwhile, Kohli has a batting strike rate of just 89.29 against Sandeep.
Probable XIs
Punjab - Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Prabhsimran Singh/Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Harpreet Brar/Raj Angad Bawa, Benny Howell, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar.
Bangalore - Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat/ Mahipal Lomror, Sherfane Rutherford/Finn Allen, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj.
