Our Prediction
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Royal challengers Bangalore will be thrilled with the confidence boosting win against strong Sunrisers Hyderbad in their first match of the tournament . Punjab will have only themself to blame loosing a Humdinger against Delhi.
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Youngster Devdutt Padikkal and Aaron Finch have provided assistance in the batting lineup at the top of the order . This will release the pressure from Virat Kohli and Ab Deviliers and they can play their natural game .
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Navdeep Saini and Yuzvendra Chahal picked 6 wickets among them in the match against Hyderabad . This is really a good sign for them as they are not known for their Bowling . Though Dale Steyn and Umesh Yadav were expensive .
Royal Challengers Bangalore will take on Kings XI Punjab on Thursday at Dubai International Stadium. Kings XI Punjab will be low in confidence as they lose the heart breaking match against the Delhi Capitals but they have only themselves to blame as the valiant effort of Mayank Agarwal was in vein as they fail to score one run in 3 deliveries . RCB have shown glimpses of good performance early in the Tournament which is a rare site considering the previous seasons . Young Sensation Devdutt Padikkal has put up a noticeable performance with his partner Aaron finch both looked in fine touch adding a solid partnership . Navdeep Saini was clicking 145 km/hr in the previous match and also bagging 3 wickets at the crucial time. Yuzi Chahal also bowled in good rhythm in the middle overs . AB Devilliers also shown sign of good form with his match winning knock which proves to be vital .
Talking about the Kings XI Punjab , they will want to put up a good show in batting department as only Mayank Agarwal showed the intent and other Kings batters KL Rahul ,Glenn Maxwell an Nicolas Pooran ailed to prove themselves which cost them the game against Delhi Capitals . Bowling department of the Kings was better as Shami was outstanding in the first spell picking up 2 wickets , Ravi Bishnoi was accurate with his line and lenghts . Captaining the side for the first time KL Rahul impressed all with his bowling changes , clever feild settings . It will be intresting to see whether Punjab Include Chris Gayle in the lineup or not but Mayank Agarwal has justified his selection with his heart winning knock though he cant get his team over the line eventually .
TOSS PREDICTION
The team that wins the toss is going to want to field first. There is a lot of dew that comes by the time the second inning stats and makes batting much easier.
PITCH REPORT
Rain is not something we have to worry about in the desert and that is a good thing. The pitch, however, is a lot more concerning. The groundsman has left a lot of grass on the surface but the true nature of these pitches cannot be hidden for long. We saw deliveries keep low and the spinners have a big impact in Dubai already. Dew will be a major factor and second batting will be a definite advantage .
