PBKS Playing XI vs RCB: Punjab Kings are without two of their marquee signings for the season opener as they face off against RCB on Sunday. Mayank Agarwal will begin his full-time captaincy tenure without the services of both Jonny Bairstow and Kagiso Rabada but will have the rest of the squad at his disposal when his team takes the field at the DY Patil Stadium. In their absence, Agarwal would hope that their batting heavy approach leads them to results as the season kicks off. Agarwal has won the toss and opted to bowl first against Faf du Plessis led side. Follow IPL 2022 and PBKS vs RCB live updates on Insidesport.in
PBKS Playing XI vs RCB: Batting heavy Punjab Kings to bowl first against RCB, kick off new era under Mayank Agarwal without Bairstow, Rabada – Follow LIVE Updates
Punjab Kings will rely heavily on their batting with new captain Mayank Agarwal leading the charge at the top of the order. While KL Rahul’s absence will be huge, PBKS have done well in signing Shikhar Dhawan, who has scored more than 450 runs in each of his last 6 seasons.
The duo along with Liam Livingstone, Jonny Bairstow, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh and Rahul Chahar form a strong core and Agarwal and head coach Anil Kumble will hope that they can deliver the goods. In Bairstow’s absence Sri Lankar wicket-keeper batsman Bhanuka Rakapaksa will take the gloves and bat in the middle-order.
PBKS Playing XI vs RCB: Batting heavy Punjab Kings to bowl first against RCB, kick off new era under Mayank Agarwal without Bairstow, Rabada – Follow LIVE Updates
Liam Livingstone and Shah Rukh Khan follows next, with Punjab Kings having splashed in excess of Rs 20 crore to get on board. The duo will be the middle order enforcers and will also double as finishers alongside West Indian all-rounder Odean Smith.
On a scale of 1️⃣-🔟, Liam’s shot is definitely more than that 🤩 #SherSquad, don’t you agree? 😉 #SaddaPunjab #IPL2022 #PunjabKings #ਸਾਡਾਪੰਜਾਬ @liaml4893 pic.twitter.com/joSfMfBYF4
— Punjab Kings (@PunjabKingsIPL) March 24, 2022
India’s U-19 World Cup star Raj Bawa is also making his IPL debut. The 19-year-old has pipped veteran Rishi Dhawan and English all-rounder Benny Howell to find a place in the playing XI.
Also, in Rabada’s absence, the onus will be on Arshdeep Singh to lead the attack after a fantastic season last time around. The left-arm pacer has Sandeep Sharma for company and Rahul Chahar and Harpreet Brar take up spin bowling duties and with Livingstone to chip in with his part-time spin.
PBKS Playing XI vs RCB: Batting heavy Punjab Kings to bowl first against RCB, kick off new era under Mayank Agarwal without Bairstow, Rabada – Follow LIVE Updates
Predicted PBKS Playing XI vs RCB
- Mayank Agarwal
- Shikhar Dhawan
- Liam Livingstone
- Bhanuka Rajapaksa
- Shah Rukh Khan
- Raj Bawa
- Odean Smith
- Harpreet Brar
- Arshdeep Singh
- Rahul Chahar
- Sandeep Sharma
Strengths and weaknesses
Punjab Kings’ have a strong batting order with a host of international experience in their ranks. In Agarwal and Dhawan, the franchise have one of the finest opening combinations of the IPL, while the likes of Liam Livingstone, Shah Rukh Khan and Odean Smith add more firepower down the order. PBKS struggled with their sixth bowling option last year but the presence of Livingstone, Odean and Howell should compliment them well.
However, Punjab will be concerned with the lack of experience in their bowling attack. In the absence of Rabada, Rahul Chahar is their most experienced bowler international bowler with seven games under his belt. Brar and Arshdeep have yet to be in the international reckoning and Agarwal will hope that his attack will punch above their weight.
PBKS Playing XI vs RCB: Batting heavy Punjab Kings to bowl first against RCB, kick off new era under Mayank Agarwal without Bairstow, Rabada – Follow LIVE Updates
Editors pick
