IPL Qualifier 1, PBKS vs RCB ball-by-ball commentary from Mullanpur

India Today

6 days ago

21:11 IST:... THE RUN CHASE ...
21:05 IST:Not much to write home about when it comes to Punjab Kings' batting effort - they've been bundled out for just 101. There were no meaningful partnerships, and some of the shot selection left plenty to be desired. The senior players couldn't rise to the occasion, with only Marcus Stoinis and Azmatullah Omarzai showing any real resistance at the crease. They find themselves well behind in this contest. That said, they did manage to defend 111 on this very ground against KKR earlier, but pulling off something similar here would require an extraordinary bowling effort and at this stage, that looks like a tall order. Join us in a bit for the second essay.
21:04 IST:Royal Challengers Bengaluru's Suyash Sharma is in for a chat. He says that they executed the plans they had set out with. Mentions that he is happy with his performance and enjoyed the way the ball came out of his hand. Shares that the chat in the camp was about treating this as just another game, and reckons that playing in Mullanpur earlier in the season helped them.
21:04 IST:With Josh Hazlewood back in the mix, the RCB bowling unit looked transformed, relentless and disciplined, giving the batters nothing to work with. Yash Dayal set the tone early with a breakthrough, and the towering Aussie made his presence felt with two crucial wickets, including dismissing Shreyas Iyer yet again. But the spotlight soon shifted to Suyash Sharma, who spun a mesmerizing spell through the middle overs, claiming three wickets and tightening the screws. Dayal struck again, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Romario Shepherd chipped in with one each, and fittingly, it was Hazlewood who sealed the deal with his third scalp, with Jitesh Sharma pulling off a spectacular catch behind the stumps.
20:55 IST:A sensational performance from Royal Challengers Bengaluru! They came out with a purpose right from the first ball, throwing themselves into every contest. The bowlers hit their marks with precision, and the fielders gave it their all with sharp, committed efforts. It was a display full of intensity and intent - no holding back whatsoever. With this dominant showing, they've taken a big step toward the final.
20:54 IST:14.1: Josh Hazlewood to Azmatullah Omarzai, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Jitesh Sharma has pulled off a spectacular grab! Josh Hazlewood returns and wraps up the innings. On a nagging length, on the off stump, Azmatullah Omarzai stays back, clears his front leg and has a hack across the line to a ball that is not that full for the shot. The ball takes the outside edge and flies quickly behind towards the keeper. Jitesh leaps, sticks his right glove over his head and plucks it out of thin air. The ball stays in his grasp even as the elbow hits the turf. Josh finishes with three wickets and PBKS have been bowled out for 101.
20:53 IST:Josh Hazlewood (3-0-21-2) is back on.
20:52 IST:13.6: Romario Shepherd to Kyle Jamieson, On a short of a length, on off, Kyle Jamieson pushes it to cover.
20:52 IST:13.5: Romario Shepherd to Kyle Jamieson, FOUR LEG BYES! Streaky but Punjab Kings will take it any way they come! A well-directed bumper from Romario at the left shoulder of the batter, Kyle tries to sway inside the line of the ball but then decides to swing at it. Gets it off the left shoulder and it races down to the deep fine leg fence for a boundary.
20:51 IST:13.4: Romario Shepherd to Kyle Jamieson, Attacking the stumps, on a good length, Kyle Jamieson covers the line and pats it back to the bowler with a straight bat.
20:50 IST:Kyle Jamieson is the last man in.
20:51 IST:13.3: Romario Shepherd to Harpreet Brar, OUT! DRAGGED ON! Romario Shepherd joins the party now! He bangs this hard into the pitch again, on middle and leg, once again gets some extra bounce off the deck. Harpreet Brar backs away to play at it but fails to ride the bounce. The ball skids through, hits his back elbow and deflects onto the stumps. Punjab Kings are nine down now!
20:48 IST:13.2: Romario Shepherd to Azmatullah Omarzai, Fuller one and on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai drills it to long on for a single.
20:48 IST:13.1: Romario Shepherd to Azmatullah Omarzai, EDGE AND FOUR! Romario Shepherd bowls this at a hard length, on off, gets some extra bounce. Azmatullah Omarzai looks to push it away but gets an outside edge past the keeper and to the third man fence for a boundary.
20:48 IST:STRATEGIC BREAK! RCB are bossing this contest. With the ball and in the field, they have risen to the occasion and have barely put a foot wrong so far. For PBKS, they will do well to bat the whole 20 overs from here. All hopes now rest on Azmatullah Omarzai to guide them to something respectable, but he will need someone to stick with him at the other end. All of Rajat Patidar's bowling options, barring Krunal Pandya, have made their mark tonight. Romario Shepherd to bowl after the break.
20:44 IST:12.6: Suyash Sharma to Harpreet Brar, A googly, full and on off, turns away, Harpreet Brar strides out to block but gets beaten on the outside edge.
20:43 IST:12.5: Suyash Sharma to Harpreet Brar, Quicker, short and outisde off, Harpreet Brar tries to cut it away but misses.
20:43 IST:12.4: Suyash Sharma to Azmatullah Omarzai, Looped up, full and on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai eases it to long on for one.
20:42 IST:12.3: Suyash Sharma to Azmatullah Omarzai, SIX! Just over! Floated, full and on middle, turns in a bit. Azmatullah Omarzai goes down on one knee and slog sweeps it. He does not connect from the middle of the bat but gets enough to clear the wide long on fence for a biggie.
20:42 IST:12.2: Suyash Sharma to Harpreet Brar, Tossed up, full and on off, turns in, Harpreet Brar opens the face of his bat and steers it past first slip for a run.
20:41 IST:12.1: Suyash Sharma to Azmatullah Omarzai, Short and on off, Azmatullah Omarzai backs away and punches it through covers for a single.
20:39 IST:11.6: Yash Dayal to Harpreet Brar, Another bouncer just around off, Harpreet Brar sways away from it. A good day's work for Dayal as he finishes with figures of (4-0-26-2).
20:39 IST:11.5: Yash Dayal to Azmatullah Omarzai, Hard length and on off, Azmatullah Omarzai runs it down to third man for one.
20:38 IST:11.4: Yash Dayal to Harpreet Brar, Short of a length and on middle, Harpreet Brar mistimes his pull shot wide of long on for a run.
20:38 IST:11.3: Yash Dayal to Harpreet Brar, Good length and around off, Harpreet Brar steers it wide of third man for a brace.
20:37 IST:11.2: Yash Dayal to Harpreet Brar, Sharp bowling! Yash Dayal bangs in a fiery bouncer, on middle, angling in, Harpreet Brar ducks under it.
20:37 IST:11.1: Yash Dayal to Azmatullah Omarzai, Fuller and on off, Azmatullah Omarzai drives it through covers for a single.
20:35 IST:10.6: Suyash Sharma to Harpreet Brar, Flighted, full and on off, Harpreet Brar pushes it towards extra covers again. Another terrific over from Suyash Sharma.
20:35 IST:10.5: Suyash Sharma to Harpreet Brar, Goes short and around off, turns in, Harpreet Brar punches it to extra covers.
20:34 IST:10.4: Suyash Sharma to Harpreet Brar, A massive shout for LBW, but turned down! Royal Challengers Bengaluru takes the review here. This is floated, full and on leg, Harpreet Brar stays back to clip it away but misses and gets hit on the pads. Suyash Sharma just keeps on running and celebrates without even looking at the umpire. However, Ball Tracking shows that it pitched outside leg and RCB lose the review.
20:33 IST:Harpreet Brar comes out to bat.
20:31 IST:10.3: Suyash Sharma to Marcus Stoinis, OUT! BOWLED'EM! Suyash Sharma has three now! He is spinning a web around the Punjab batters, and no one has any answers to it. He dishes out another beautiful wrong'un, nicely tossed up, on middle. Marcus Stoinis goes down on one knee for the slog sweep but gets beaten by the flight. The ball goes through the huge gap between bat and pad to rattle the stumps. Stoinis walks back for a valiant 26 off 17, and PBKS are 78/8 now!
20:30 IST:10.2: Suyash Sharma to Azmatullah Omarzai, Tossed up, full and on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai eases it to long on for a single.
20:30 IST:10.1: Suyash Sharma to Marcus Stoinis, Quicker, full and on leg, Marcus Stoinis misses his flick as the ball goes off his pads towards square leg. A leg bye is taken.
20:29 IST:10.1: Suyash Sharma to Marcus Stoinis, FIVE WIDES! That beats everyone! Flatter, full but down the leg side, Marcus Stoinis goes down to paddle it away but misses. Jitesh Sharma behind the stumps gets a bit blindsided and fails to stop it as the ball races to the fence for a boundary.
20:28 IST:9.6: Krunal Pandya to Marcus Stoinis, Fired in, on the shorter side, on leg, Marcus whips it off the back foot to deep mid-wicket for one.
20:27 IST:9.5: Krunal Pandya to Marcus Stoinis, Fuller and slower, on the pads, Stoinis places it in the vacant mid-wicket region and comes charging back for the second run.
20:27 IST:9.4: Krunal Pandya to Marcus Stoinis, Drags the length back and it is around off, Marcus Stoinis stays back in the crease and pushes it back to Krunal.
20:27 IST:9.3: Krunal Pandya to Marcus Stoinis, SIX! Excellent use of the feet! Darted in from around the wicket, on a nagging length, on middle, Marcus Stoinis puts the dancing shoes on and swings through the line. Lofts it with a straight bat over long off for a six.
20:26 IST:9.2: Krunal Pandya to Azmatullah Omarzai, Slows it down but the line is a bit too straight, on the pads, Azmatullah Omarzai clips this full ball to deep square leg for a single.
20:26 IST:9.1: Krunal Pandya to Azmatullah Omarzai, Sliding onto the pads, on a length, flicked to mid-wicket.
20:24 IST:8.6: Suyash Sharma to Azmatullah Omarzai, Floated up, on middle, Azmatullah Omarzai gets forward and eases it to long on for a single.
20:25 IST:Azmatullah Omarzai comes out to the middle now.
20:23 IST:8.5: Suyash Sharma to Musheer Khan, OUT! LBW! A loud shout and the finger is raised! Musheer Khan has taken the review straight away! Did he get some bat on it? Sharma bowls this flatter and shorter, on middle, Musheer gets down on a knee and tries to swipe it across the line. The ball goes under the horizontal blade of Khan to catch him on the crouched back thigh. The third umpire is satisfied that there is no bat involved. The Ball Tracking shows three reds with the ball crashing into the leg stump. The impact sub falls without any sort of impact. Musheer Khan takes a review with him. PBKS are now 60/7.
20:21 IST:8.4: Suyash Sharma to Musheer Khan, Nicely bowled! A well-disguised googly from Sharma, landing outside the off stump and turning back into the right-hander, on a nagging length, Khan picks it late but manages to keep it out.
20:20 IST:8.3: Suyash Sharma to Musheer Khan, Pushed through, shorter and quicker, on middle, Khan gets on his toes and nudges it to mid-wicket.
20:21 IST:Strategic Break! Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been absolutely fantastic with the ball and in the field. They are clearly in the driving seat, and it will be fair to say that they already have one foot in the final, barring something miraculous happening. That miracle can only happen for Punjab Kings if Marcus Stoinis plays one of the best knocks of his life. They have lost six wickets, and we are not even halfway through the innings. So, that has forced them to make an Impact Sub as Musheer Khan walks out to bat on his IPL debut in a pressure situation. He replaces Prabhsimran Singh.
20:32 IST:8.2: Suyash Sharma to Shashank Singh, OUT! CLEANED HIM UP! Suyash Sharma joins the party for RCB! PBKS slip further into trouble. Another googly from Suyash from over the wicket, on a nagging length at the stumps, Shashank Singh premeditatedly gets down on a knee and sets up for the slog sweep. The ball is not that full for the shot and Singh pays the ultimate price. The ball lands and spins back in to go under the blade and sneaks through to rattle the woodwork. PBKS are now 60/6.
20:15 IST:8.1: Suyash Sharma to Marcus Stoinis, So nearly sneaked through! Suyash starts with a googly, on a length, on middle, Marcus Stoinis does not pick it from the hand but does so off the wicket. Turns it through square leg for a single.
20:15 IST:Time for some spin now as Suyash Sharma replaces Yash Dayal.
20:14 IST:7.6: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, On a length, attacking the off stump, Stoinis is deep in his crease as he hoicks across the line. The bat turns in his hand and he gets only a single as the ball dribbles towards deep square leg.
20:13 IST:7.5: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, Dug in short, over off, Marcus Stoinis thinks about going after it initially but eventually sways away to let the ball go past him.
20:12 IST:7.4: Josh Hazlewood to Shashank Singh, Lands it on a hard length, on middle, Shashank Singh walks across and tucks it in the vacant mid-wicket region for a single.
20:11 IST:7.3: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, A bit full this time, on off, Marcus Stoinis knocks it wide of cover and gets to the other end.
20:11 IST:7.2: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, FOUR! Agricultural but effective! On a nagging length, on middle, Marcus Stoinis gets his front leg out of the way and mows it away through mid-wicket for a boundary.
20:10 IST:7.1: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, Zeroing in on the off stump, on a good length, Marcus Stoinis gets behind the line and pats it down on the off side.
20:09 IST:6.6: Yash Dayal to Shashank Singh, On a hard length, on off, Singh punches it down the deck and Dayal is quick to move to his right to cut it off.
20:08 IST:6.5: Yash Dayal to Shashank Singh, Pushed across the right-hander, on a short of a length, Shashank Singh cuts it straight to backward point.
20:08 IST:6.4: Yash Dayal to Shashank Singh, Fractionally short, on middle and leg, Shashank Singh is on the charge and swats it over mid-wicket fo ra couple of runs to get off the mark.
20:07 IST:Shashank Singh comes out to the middle now.
20:06 IST:6.3: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, OUT! CHOPPED ON! Yash Dayal has his second wicket of the night! Half the side back in the hut for PBKS inside 7 overs. Dayal pulls his length back slightly and keeps it around the fifth stump line. Nehal Wadhera waits back and just goes at it with his hands. Tries to play it a bit too square and for that, plays it with an angled bat. The ball nips back in enough to catch the inside edge before crashing back into the leg pole.
20:05 IST:6.2: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, On the fuller side, outside off, Nehal Wadhera leans into the drive and hits it all along the ground to the left of deep point. Phil Salt sprints and tumbles to his left in the deep to prevent the boundary. With this brace, 50 comes up for PBKS!
20:04 IST:6.1: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, Play and a miss! This is on a length, just outside the off stump from over the wicket, Nehal Wadhera does not move his feet much and goes for the drive. Gets beaten on the outside edge.
20:04 IST:Change? No, Yash Dayal to continue.
20:03 IST:5.6: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, Beaten! This skids through, on a back of a length, over middle, Marcus Stoinis attempts the pull again but the ball sneaks under the bat this time.
20:02 IST:5.5: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, SIX! Take that, says Marcus Stoinis! Josh serves it on a shortish length, over middle, Marcus Stoinis swivels and picks the bones out of it. Swivels and nails the pull over deep square leg for a biggie.
20:01 IST:5.4: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, On a back of a length, on off, Marcus Stoinis sets up for the pull again but mistimes it towards mid on.
20:01 IST:5.3: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, FOUR! That could have so easily gone back onto the stumps! This is on a short of a good length, on off, Marcus Stoinis swings for the pull but gets an inside edge that sneaks past the off stump and beats the diving Jitesh Sharma to his left for a boundary.
20:00 IST:5.2: Josh Hazlewood to Marcus Stoinis, Seaming away in the channel on off, on a good length, Marcus Stoinis thinks about playing it but then decides to withdraw his bat.
20:00 IST:Marcus Stoinis is in now.
19:58 IST:5.1: Josh Hazlewood to Josh Inglis, OUT! IN THE AIR AND GONE! Josh Hazlewood wins the battle of the two Aussies! Hazlewood bends his back and digs it in short, over middle, Inglis hangs back, gets on his toes and swivels a bit to take the short ball on. The ball gets big on him due to the extra bounce generated by the speedster and it catches the top edge. It goes straight up and only as far as deep fine leg where Bhuvneshwar Kumar settles under it and takes it around his chest.
19:57 IST:4.6: Yash Dayal to Josh Inglis, Another full delivery, on the pads, Josh Inglis swipes it towards fine leg for one.
19:56 IST:4.5: Yash Dayal to Josh Inglis, Pulls his length back, on off, Josh Inglis pats it to covers.
19:55 IST:4.4: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, A slower one, full and on middle, Nehal Wadhera knocks it towards mid on for a single.
19:55 IST:4.3: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, On a length and on off, Nehal Wadhera pushes it to cover-point.
19:54 IST:4.2: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, Pitched up and on the pads, Nehal Wadhera flicks it to short mid-wicket.
19:54 IST:4.1: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, FOUR! Makes full use of it! Full again and on middle, Nehal Wadhera stays back and thumps it over the bowler's head for a boundary.
19:53 IST:4.1: Yash Dayal to Nehal Wadhera, Fuller and on middle, angling in, Nehal Wadhera tucks it to short mid-wicket. Oh..no! Dayal has overstepped here and it is called a No Ball. Free Hit up next...
19:52 IST:3.6: Josh Hazlewood to Nehal Wadhera, On a length and on leg, Nehal Wadhera clips it through square leg for one. 4 runs and a huge wicket from this over.
19:52 IST:3.5: Josh Hazlewood to Nehal Wadhera, Bangs this into the pitch, on middle, Nehal Wadhera looks to pull but misses and gets hit on the body.
19:51 IST:Nehal Wadhera walks in with PBKS in early strife.
19:50 IST:3.4: Josh Hazlewood to Shreyas Iyer, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Josh Hazlewood strikes and removes Shreyas Iyer! This was the match-up for the Punjab skipper, and he has to walk back cheaply. This is slightly on the fuller length and on off, gets it to shape away. Iyer stays in his crease and looks to slog it across the line, but all he manages is a thick outside edge behind where the keeper, Jitesh Sharma, takes his second catch of the match. Punjab Kings are reeling at 30/3 now!
19:49 IST:3.3: Josh Hazlewood to Shreyas Iyer, Short of a length and on off, Shreyas Iyer punches it through covers for a brace.
19:48 IST:3.2: Josh Hazlewood to Shreyas Iyer, Lovely bowling! Good-length delivery in the channel outside off, holds its line, Shreyas Iyer tries to push at it but gets beaten on the outside edge. Hazlewood is causing problems for Iyer again.
19:47 IST:3.1: Josh Hazlewood to Josh Inglis, Back of a length and on leg, Josh Inglis pulls it away towards fine leg for a single.
19:47 IST:The captain of Punjab, Shreyas Iyer, makes his way out to the centre. Time for the first change in bowling as Josh Hazlewood replaces Yash Dayal.
19:47 IST:2.6: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prabhsimran Singh, OUT! EDGED AND GONE! Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the last laugh here and that's why they say experience matters. He sees the batter come down the track again and bangs this into the pitch hard, on middle, shapes away a touch. Prabhsimran Singh is halfway down the track and gives it an almighty heave across the line but loses his shape completely. The ball takes a slight outside edge and goes behind, where the keeper, Jitesh Sharma takes a dolly. RCB players are pumped here as they get rid of both the dangerous Punjab openers inside 3 overs.
19:45 IST:2.5: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prabhsimran Singh, Touch fuller and on off, Prabhsimran Singh guides it away towards short third.
19:44 IST:2.4: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prabhsimran Singh, FOUR! Goes again and gets the result! Good length and around middle this time, angling in. Prabhsimran Singh uses his feet again but gets cramped up. He swats it off the inner half of the bat, but it just goes over Rajat Patidar at mid on for another boundary.
19:43 IST:2.3: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prabhsimran Singh, FOUR! Up and over! Hits the length hard and just outside off. Prabhsimran Singh advances down the track and flat-bats it over the mid off fielder for a boundary.
19:42 IST:2.2: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Josh Inglis, Back of a length and around off, Josh Inglis steers it through point for a single.
19:41 IST:2.1: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Josh Inglis, On a length and on off, Josh Inglis pats it towards mid off.
19:41 IST:1.6: Yash Dayal to Prabhsimran Singh, SIX! That spoils the over a bit! Yash Dayal bowls this a bit short but down the leg side. Prabhsimran Singh picks it up nicely and helps it on its way over the fine leg fence for a biggie. 10 runs and a wicket from the over!
19:40 IST:1.5: Yash Dayal to Prabhsimran Singh, Beauty! Goes a touch fuller and just around off, angling away, Prabhsimran Singh has a poke at it but the ball zips past the outside edge.
19:40 IST:1.4: Yash Dayal to Prabhsimran Singh, And again! Royal Challengers Bengaluru are up for it and they are putting their bodies on the line. Hard length and outside off, Prabhsimran Singh cuts it hard and wide of deep point. Liam Livingstone quickly runs to his right and slides to push the ball away from the fence. Two runs taken.
19:39 IST:1.3: Yash Dayal to Josh Inglis, Excellent stop! Short of a length and around off, Josh Inglis steers it nicely wide of short third. Suyash Sharma puts in a fantastic dive to his left to stop it. He saves three runs for his team as the batters get just one.
19:39 IST:Josh Inglis is in at number 3.
19:42 IST:1.2: Yash Dayal to Priyansh Arya, OUT! TAKEN! Yash Dayal strikes in his first over! A huge wicket for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. This one is on a good length and around off, not that full for a drive. However, Priyansh Arya still goes for the big booming drive but fails to keep it down. The ball goes straight into the hands of cover where Krunal Pandya makes no mistake. Punjab Kings are 9/1!
19:36 IST:1.1: Yash Dayal to Prabhsimran Singh, Yash Dayal begins with a back-of-a-length delivery, on off, Prabhsimran Singh runs it down to third man for a single.
19:36 IST:It will be the left-arm seamer, Yash Dayal, to steam in from the other end.
19:35 IST:0.6: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prabhsimran Singh, Touch fuller and on off, Prabhsimran Singh steers it through point for a run. That brings up 500 runs for him this season as well. End of an eventful over!
19:34 IST:0.5: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Prabhsimran Singh, Oh...beaten! Hard length and just on off, shapes away, Prabhsimran Singh uses his feet to guide it away but gets beaten on the outside edge.
19:33 IST:0.4: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Priyansh Arya, On a length and around leg, Priyansh Arya clips it through square leg for a single.
19:33 IST:0.3: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Priyansh Arya, FOUR! Good shot! First one of the game! Bhuvi lands this on a back of a length and just around off. Priyansh Arya frees his arms and punches it sweetly towards point. The ball skids through the outfield and beats the dive of Krunal Pandya to his right and races away for a boundary.
19:32 IST:0.2: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Priyansh Arya, Hits the hard length this time, on middle, gets it to nip back in sharply. Priyansh Arya stays back and blocks it out onto the pitch.
19:32 IST:0.1: Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Priyansh Arya, Priyansh Arya and Punjab Kings are underway straightaway! Bhuvneshwar Kumar starts with a good-length delivery, on middle, shaping in. Arya flicks it uppishly but well wide of mid-wicket and picks up a couple of runs.
19:31 IST:We are all set to get going in Mullanpur. The two umpires exchange handshakes and head out to the middle. Rajat Patidar leads his side out through a tunnel of fireworks before gathering his players into a huddle. The decibel levels rise as the opening pair of the Punjab Kings walk out to a roaring welcome. Priyansh Arya and Prabhsimran Singh are the two openers for PBKS. Bhuvneshwar Kumar will open the attack for RCB. Bhuvneshwar to Arya with a slip in place. Here we go!
19:11 IST:Impact Players for Punjab Kings - Vyshak Vijaykumar, Praveen Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Musheer Khan and Xavier Bartlett.
19:11 IST:Punjab Kings (Playing XI) - Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Josh Inglis (WK), Shreyas Iyer (C), Nehal Wadhera, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Azmatullah Omarzai (In for Marco Jansen), Harpreet Brar, Kyle Jamieson, Arshdeep Singh.
19:10 IST:Impact Players for Royal Challengers Bengaluru - Mayank Agarwal, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert and Swapnil Singh.
19:11 IST:Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI) - Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Josh Hazlewood (In for Nuwan Thushara), Suyash Sharma.
19:09 IST:Shreyas Iyer, the skipper of Punjab Kings, says that they would have bowled first as well. Adds that he should be the last person to ask about this wicket. Mentions that usually teams batting first have won here, so he's not too fussed about the toss. Says that the crowd has been electrifying, and that gives the players a lot of confidence and positivity. Informs that Azmatullah Omarzai comes in for Marco Jansen.
19:07 IST:The captain of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajat Patidar, says that the wicket looks pretty hard with a decent amount of grass covering. Expects some help early on with the ball. Mentions that it was an extraordinary effort from the team in the last game. Praises Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and Jitesh Sharma for the way they batted in the chase against LSG. Informs that Josh Hazlewood comes back in for Nuwan Thushara.
19:05 IST:TOSS - It's toss time in Mullanpur! Rajat Patidar is fully fit and back at the helm for Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Shreyas Iyer flips the coin, and Patidar calls it right. RCB have elected to BOWL first.