The Big Picture
Josh Hazlewood saw the funny side of it, reminding someone that Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) play "tomorrow" and not "day after" when asked about the short turnaround in matches in IPL 2025.
Friday night's fixture against Punjab Kings (PBKS) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium spilled into the early hours of Saturday thanks to a teasing drizzle that kept everyone waiting for over two hours. When the final ball was bowled and RCB were soundly beaten, there was little time to savour the result - equally important matters, like rest, recovery and a long travel day loomed.
With a nearly three-hour flight that wouldn't land until late Saturday evening, both sides will hit the ground running in the reverse fixture on Sunday afternoon. RCB won't necessarily complain, having won four games so far on the road. That said, they'll be stepping into the unknown in Mullanpur: no training session, no time to read pitches, and no chance to adjust to the slightly bigger ground dimensions.
A tacky Chinnaswamy surface offered plenty for the bowlers, with PBKS restricting RCB to just 95 in 14 overs. PBKS and RCB are second and third on the six-hitting lists this season, but there's no telling what kind of surprise the pitch might throw up on Sunday; the previous game in Mullanpur saw PBKS defend 111 against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the lowest ever total successfully defended in the IPL.
One of Virat Kohli or Phil Salt have laid the marker in the powerplay in each of RCB's away fixtures. And that's allowed their power-packed middle order to come into their own, be it in chases or while having to set a target, like they did at Chepauk against CSK en route their first win there since 2008.
PBKS have profited from Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh's robust powerplay starts while batting first. But they haven't delivered with the same consistency in chases. Nehal Wadhera has injected a spark into the middle order, while Shreyas Iyer will be keen to correct a campaign of extremes, after his early dismissal in Bengaluru.
While RCB's bowling has been on all season, PBKS are hitting their strides --first defending the lowest total of the IPL last week, then dismantling RCB on their home turf, briefly reviving memories of that infamous 49 all out.
The IPL has billed this clash as part of "revenge week." The teams may not approach it that way, but they will know the importance of the two points on offer. An RCB win will help them join DC and PBKS on at least five wins, while a PBKS win will take them to the top of the table.
Form Guide
Punjab Kings WWLWL (last five, most-recent first)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru LWLWL
In the spotlight
Arshdeep Singh has taken a while to hit his strides in the powerplay in the absence of late swing. This translated into him picking up just one wicket in the powerplay in the first six games. In Bengaluru against RCB, he dismissed Salt and Kohli - albeit off deliveries bowled into the surface - in consecutive overs to set the tone for PBKS' win. His return to form bodes well for PBKS.
The 26 balls he faced during his 50 not out against PBKS on Friday night is the most Tim David has faced in an innings in the IPL. On Friday night, he averted a full-blown meltdown and took the innings into the last two overs, fully trusting himself to inflict damage. He ended up hitting 32 en route his IPL highest. And so it elicits a question: with Liam Livingstone struggling for batting form, is there a case for David to earn a promotion?
Team news and likely XIIs
Harpreet Brar could retain his spot, having impressed in his first outing. Left out at the Chinnaswamy, Glenn Maxwell will tussle with Josh Inglis for a spot in the XII.
PBKS: 1 Prabhsimran Singh, 2 Priyansh Arya, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Josh Inglis/Glenn Maxwell, 5 Nehal Wadhera, 6 Shashank Singh, 7 Marcus Stoinis, 8 Harpreet Brar, 9 Marco Jansen, 10 Xavier Bartlett, 11 Arshdeep Singh, 12 Yuzvendra Chahal
The only selection debate RCB face is if they should continue backing Livingstone. Jacob Bethell and Romario Shepherd are their other options on the bench. It's also likely Devdutt Padikkal will slot back in at No. 3.
RCB: 1 Phil Salt, 2 Virat Kohli, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (wk), 5 Liam Livingstone/Romario Shephard, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Tim David, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal, 12 Suyash Sharma
The Big Question
Pitch and conditions
PBKS have been equally as stumped as some of the visiting teams over the decks they've been offered in Mullanpur. In the previous game here, there was plenty of spice that fast bowlers from both sides exploited. If that's the case, RCB will be more than a handful. Dew wasn't a factor when PBKS defended 112 vs KKR, and teams will hope it continues to remain that way.
Stats and trivia
Arya strikes at 231 in IPL 2025, and has made 208 runs in four innings while batting first; his numbers dip drastically in chases, averaging just 8 and striking at 114.
David's 22 sixes are the most between overs 17-20 since IPL 2024. He's hit 12 of those sixes this season.
Among batters who've scored at least 200 runs, Rajat Patidar's strike rate of 182 vs spin is the highest for an RCB batter.
After a lackluster start - two wickets in five games at an economy of 11.1 - Chahal has picked six wickets in the last two games alone, at an economy of 5.6
