"This will be a six-hitting contest!" - Aakash Chopra makes his predictions for RCB vs PBKS in IPL 2022
Former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra always tends to make his predictions about player battles and other match-ups while previewing the IPL 2022 games.
Speaking about the game between the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Punjab Kings (PBKS), Aakash Chopra tried to explain what he feels might happen. He reckons the Brabourne Stadium will see a flurry of sixes being hit with power-hitters like Glenn Maxwell and Liam Livingstone on show tonight.
But speaking in a video on his YouTube channel, Aakash Chopra hasn't ruled out leg-spinners like Wanindu Hasaranga and Rahul Chahar enjoying bowling to the larger part of the ground. He said:
"This will be a six-hitting content and both teams will hit more than eight sixes. We have seen both teams surrender to leg-spin before and with Hasaranga and Chahar in their ranks, I expect them to take more than three wickets."
The 44-year-old also expects the overseas pacers in Josh Hazlewood and Kagiso Rabada to do well. But overall, he opined that Bangalore are the better side and will start as favourites. He added:
"At one end, there is Australian star pacer Hazlewood and at the other end, there is Rabada. So I think both will together pick up four or more wickets. RCB is the better team so I expect them to win, but for the tournament to get more interesting, Punjab should win."
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An 𝗠 n 𝗠 meeting before our all important game tonight. 😉🤜🏻🤛🏻
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RCB have to win to keep top-two hopes alive: Aakash Chopra
While it is not going to be a literal 'do-or-die' encounter for the Royal Challengers, Aakash Chopra believes they will need to win both their games to stand a chance of finishing in the top two.
Aakash Chopra also explained why Bangalore would want to finish in the top two as these teams get an extra bite of the cherry to reach the final. He stated:
"RCB simply have to win this game. This is their 13th game, unlike Punjab who have a game in hand. If RCB win, they will go to 16 points, which means they are almost through. But they would like to end in top two as only once in IPL history has a team won a trophy despite finishing outside top two. So if RCB want to do 'Ee Saala Cup Namde' then win the next two games, end on 18 points and in top two spots and have a better chance of winning the trophy."
If RCB end up winning against PBKS, it could be a fascinating race between multiple teams to see who will finish in the top two.