"Ee sala cup namde"- Twitterati reacts as RCB face PBKS in their opening encounter in IPL 2022
According to the IPL 2022 schedule, Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) face off in the third game of the IPL at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai today.
Both sides have new captains this season. Faf du Plessis took over from Virat Kohli as RCB skipper, while PBKS appointed Mayank Agarwal as captain after KL Rahul left the franchise.
Mayank Agarwal won the toss and chose to field first as dew might make the bowlers' job tough in the second innings.
Kagiso Rabada is not yet available for selection for Punjab Kings. For Bangalore, star all-rounder Glenn Maxwell is yet to arrive in India.
Here are the playing XI's for the third IPL 2022 match.
RCB Playing XI: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik (w), Sherfane Rutherford, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wanindu Hasaranga, David Willey, Harshal Patel, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj
PBKS Playing XI: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Bhanuka Rajapaksa (w), Shahrukh Khan, Odean Smith, Raj Bawa, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Sandeep Sharma, Rahul Chahar
RCB fans conveyed optimism about their team's chances for the new season under a new leader. They expressed the same on Twitter and proclaimed it might finally be their team's year.
Here are some of the best reactions:
Have to say it again:
EE SALA CUP NAMDE🏆
#RCB #PlayBold
Expecting RCB to start its rage from very first match itself
hoping this season will bring the trophy 🏆 one of the best players Virat and faf in same time🏏 opponents be careful
#RCB
Faf du plessis and Anuj Rawat is opening for RCB 😑 https://t.co/2Hr6QrkZoL
RCB Batting LineUp https://t.co/ixdvwDq4cZ
IPL is incomplete without @ABdeVilliers17 #RCBvPBKS #ABD
RCB plz don't disappoint me today
So it wasn't Virat Kohli
It's just #RCB doesn't win toss😂😂
#RCBvsPBKS
hoping this season will bring the trophy 🏆 one of the best players Virat and faf in same time🏏 opponents be careful
#RCB
Will this be a long season for RCB? #IPL2022
The festival officially starts from today #RCB #IPL2022
"I want to be tighter with my execution"- RCB pacer Harshal Patel ahead of PBKS clash
Last season's Purple Cap winner Harshal Patel revealed that he is more confident and is aiming to execute his plans to perfection this season. Patel scalped 32 wickets across 15 games last year and was the standout bowler in the league.
Speaking to broadcasters ahead of the Bangalore team's season opener, Harshal Patel said:
"I'm feeling more confident - I want to be tighter with my execution, take more risks on the field and see if it works. I usually try and lock in what I want to bowl before I run in. I watch the batter until the end. Once you realize what you want to bowl it's all about execution and I back myself to execute what I think is the right delivery to execute for a particular occasion."
Patel continued:
"If you get 60 percent success in the death overs you're doing really well. I realize you're not going to pick up 2 or 3 wickets at the death every time and sometimes you're going to go for runs but that's the risk you take. (On Faf as captain) The way he's been batting in the nets and the practice games, I'm really happy I don't have to bowl to him."
Across 28 games between RCB and PBKS, the Punjab-based franchise has won 15 clashes, while the south Indian IPL team have ended up on the winning side on 13 occasions.
Click here to view the IPL winners list.