IPL 2022, PBKS vs RCB: RCB, Punjab Kings both look to shed 'underachievers' tag

Punjab Kings and Royal Challengers Bangalore have a lot in common. A penchant for inconsistency and a fragile middle-order leading to constant chopping and changing of the playing XI sum up their failure to clinch the IPL title till now. Having retained only a couple of players from the previous season, Punjab made their intentions clear at the auction table in February and went all out with the mantra of an ‘aggressive approach’. Desperate to shed the tag of perennial underperformers, the franchise for now can boast of having plugged the gaps in the run-up to the tournament.

As the two sides prepare to take the field at the DY Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Sunday, all eyes will be on how the two new skippers from either side -- Mayank Agarwal and Faf du Plessis — can revamp their units. The season also holds significance for former RCB skipper Virat Kohli, who will be seen only as a player for the first time in nearly a decade. With the baggage of captaincy past him, it will be interesting to see if the 33-year-old can rediscover his golden form from 2016 (900 runs with four centuries).

With a few of their overseas stars missing for the first couple of games, both Punjab and RCB will be eager to test the backup options. For Punjab, Kagiso Rabada will miss the opener as he is yet to complete his quarantine period, while Jonny Bairstow is involved in England’s Test series in the West Indies. RCB, meanwhile, will be without the services of the newly-wed Glenn Maxwell and fellow Aussies Josh Hazlewood and Jason Behrendorff, who were part of the Test team in Pakistan. Going into Sunday’s clash, Punjab will hope for their skipper to recreate the magic at the top with new recruit Shikhar Dhawan. At No. 3, Bairstow’s absence is