IPL Live Score: KXIP vs RCB Live Scorecard and ball by ball commentary of today's IPL match between Punjab vs Bangalore

KXIP vs RCB Live Ball by ball commentary

IPL 2016 Full coverage

Two teams in the bottom half of the points table take on each other at the IS Bindra PCA Stadium, Mohali where the Kings XI Punjab host the Royal Challengers Bangalore for Match 39 of the IPL 2016. An inspired Virat Kohli century, that made up for the fielding bloopers earlier in their last match and also helped. RCB beat the Rising Pune Supergiants, would be something that the Bengaluru-based franchise would like to feed off as they would look to better a side that has had a beleaguered run in the tournament so far. ROYAL CHALLENGERS BANGALORE: Kohli’s innings in the last game has given the Royal Challengers a new lease of life, it seems, as they came back from being down and out in the first innings to beat the Supergiants and keep their hopes of qualifying for the playoffs alive.

Having heavily invested in their batting, the RCB have paid the price heavily, as their bowlers have let them down match after match. To make matters worse, even the fielders let them down in the last match wherein several catches were dropped and many runs were leaked in the field. They would definitely look to improve on that front, lest add one more reason to worry about.

The RCB top order has been one of the shining lights in an otherwise gloomy campaign so far, as Virat Kohli, KL Rahul and AB de Villers have been among the runs. Shane Watson’s blitzkrieg in the last game should have also given them hope. It is the middle and the lower middle order where the problem lies, as RCB lack a genuine all-rounder who has the potential to create a considerable impact on the game.

The likes of Sachin Baby, Stuart Binny, and Travis Head haven’t created a considerable impact on the outcome of matches so far, and in this regard, RCB would be a bit worried. The bowling gives us nothing to talk about, as the lack of a strike bowler has been hurting the team badly since the inception of the tournament. The inclusion of Chris Jordan was supposed to replenish the attack, but that didn’t happen in the last match, although, it would be too early to pass a judgement on that.

Otherwise, the likes of Varun Aaron, Yuzvendra Chahal, Tabraiz Shamsi, and Parveez Rasool have been less than impressive with the ball. Once again, the team would bank on their batsmen to do the job for them, whether it is setting a target, or chasing one.

KINGS XI PUNJAB: On the other hand, the Kings XI, who have a very feeble chance of making it to the playoffs, showed an impressive performance in their last outing, wherein they defeated the Delhi Daredevils by 9 runs. Marcus Stoinis’ all-round performance in the last game, wherein he picked up 3 wickets and made 52 runs has come as a late blessing for them. Wriddhiman Saha’s half-century was also worth remembering in the last match.

Murali Vijay and Mana Vohra have been fairly decent at the top of the order, but Vohra has been in and out of the side. Their newest recruit in their camp, Hashim Amla had an IPL debut to forget, but he would e itching to put that behind him and score some runs in the league. So would Amla’s team-mate, David Miller, the former captain of the side, who has been in absolutely no form in the tournament so far.

Glenn Maxwell’s inconsistent run in the middle order has also been a cause of concern, as the Australian batsman has not been able to play a big innings and guide the team home on a consistent basis. With big players not firing regularly, there has been an added burden on the bowlers, as often, KXIP have found themselves defending low totals.

Having said that, it must also be admitted that the bowlers have done considerably better than the batsmen, especially the duo of Mohit Sharma and Sandeep Sharma, who have been equally good, both with the new ball, as well as in the death overs. Their yorkers at the death stole the show in the last game against the Daredevils wherein in the last three overs they practically bowled every delivery in the blockhole.

Axar Patel has been another revelation of Punjab of late, especially after his hat-trick against the Gujarat Lions, after which he has been smashing sixes at will immediately after his arrival at the crease. The lower order hitting prowess that Axar has displayed in the past 2-3 games should give Punjab a lot of confidence and they would hope that Axar continues his performance with the bat, in addition to his left-arm slow bowling.

So, KXIP have performed in bits and pieces and would hope that for the remaining matches of the tournament, they can perform collectively as a team.

PITCH AND CONDITIONS: The PCA Stadium in Mohali is one of the bigger grounds in India and the players must be well aware of that. The square boundaries are large and it would be harder to clear them, as compared to the straight boundaries. As far as the pitch is concerned, it is expected to favour the batsmen with some help for the fast bowlers as has been the case with Mohali. The possibility of a high-scoring game cannot be ruled out, hence.

PREDICTION: On paper as well as based on current form, it is hard to pick up a favourite amongst these two sides. Statistically, RCB have a better chance of qualifying for the playoffs as they have won 3 games out of 8, as compared to Punjab’s 3 out of 9. It should ideally be Punjab’s bowling against Bangalore’s batting, as those two areas, respectively, have been the teams’ strengths this season. Stopping the Kohli juggernaut and keeping AB de Villiers at bay would be the topmost priority of the Kings XI bowlers, and that is after assuming the fact that Chris Gayle doesn’t play. Purely based on the momentum, RCB start out as favourites to win this game.