Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2024 prediction: Match win, Dream11 and toss

• Match Prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win
• Toss prediction: Punjab Kings to win the toss and field first

Here is our PBKS vs RCB prediction for the 58th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 between Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, both of whom are in a similar position and separated by net run-rate, will lock horns on Thursday, May 9.

Read on for our detailed PBKS vs RCB predictions ahead of this match.

• Date and time: May 9, 7:30 PM IST
• Venue: Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

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Punjab Kings vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru match preview

Punjab Kings

Punjab Kings are sitting at eight position on the IPL 2024 table with eight points and a net run-rate of -0.187. They have played 11 games in the competition, winning four and losing seven. In their previous fixture, PBKS lost to Chennai Super Kings by 28 runs. 

Bowling first, PBKS bowlers did a solid job to restrict the opponents to 167/9. Rahul Chahar picked 3 for 23 while Harshal Patel snared 3 for 24 in his four overs. Chasing the target, they lost a couple of early wickets before Prabhsimran Singh (30 off 23) and Shashank Singh (27 off 20) added 53 runs for the third wicket. But Punjab suffered a big collapse and could not recover from it. 

PBKS possible XI: Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran (c), Shashank Singh, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Royal Challengers Bengaluru are also on eight points but are placed seventh due to a slightly better net run-rate of -0.049. They have managed to keep themselves alive in the competition with three back to back victories, most recently beating Gujarat Titans by four wickets. 

RCB bowlers did an excellent job for a change as they bowled out Gujarat Titans for just 147 on a pretty good pitch for batting at Bengaluru. Mohammed Siraj removed both the openers while Yash Dayal and Vijaykumar Vyshak also picked two wickets. Faf du Plessis then blasted 64 off 23 and Virat Kohli made 42 off 27. The pair added 95 runs in only 5.5 overs. RCB lost a few wickets trying to improve the net run-rate but eventually won in 13.4 overs. 

RCB possible XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Karn Sharma, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal

Pitch and expected weather conditions

Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium generally serves pretty decent pitches for batting in T20 cricket. However, the previous game played here between Punjab and Chennai had good assistance for bowlers. The venue has hosted only three IPL games since 2018, with the average first innings score reading 189.

The forecast suggests Dharamsala could witness partly cloudy weather on Thursday evening. There is a possibility of showers in the afternoon but the chance of precipitation goes down to just 2% for the evening. The temperature is likely to fluctuate between 18-24 degree Celsius. 

PBKS vs RCB Dream11 prediction

Our PBKS vs RCB Dream11 prediction for this match

• Wicketkeeper(s): Jonny Bairstow 
• Batter(s): Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Shashank Singh 
• All-rounder(s): Sam Curran, Will Jacks, Harpreet Brar 
• Bowler(s): Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Yash Dayal 
• Recommended captain: Virat Kohli
• Recommended vice-captain: Sam Curran 

In this part of the PBKS vs RCB match prediction, we talk about the reasoning behind this XI for the Dream11 contest. Going by the previous game, we expect bowlers to get assistance so we have gone with a more balanced side. 

Among wicket-keepers, we have picked only Jonny Bairstow while leaving out Prabhsimran Singh and Dinesh Karthik. Virat Kohli and Faf du Plessis are must picks from the batting section. Shashank Singh has been one of the better batters for Punjab Kings and has been promoted to number four in recent games. 

Sam Curran is another must pick for his all-round value while Will Jacks recently smashed a century. RCB have their struggles against left arm spin and Harpreet Brar has a great record in this match-up. 

Among specialist bowlers, we have picked Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal, Harshal Patel and Rahul Chahar, who have been in good form recently. 

As for captain, Kohli is the most popular choice and given his form, you just have to go with him. We have gone with Sam Curran for VC. Although he hasn't been in great batting form, he has snared 13 wickets and scored 185 runs. 

Match prediction: Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win

The head to head record between these two teams is pretty tight with Punjab Kings winning 17 games and Royal Challengers Bengaluru claiming 15. As for this fixture, RCB look like a stronger side as they are coming off three consecutive victories. Their batting has started to click and bowlers have looked better in the last few games. PBKS, on the other hand, have a pretty vulnerable batting unit. Our match prediction is for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win. 

Toss prediction: Punjab Kings to win the toss and field first

Numbers show that the team batting first has had more success at the HPCA stadium in Dharamsala. The venue has hosted a total of 18 matches in all T20s, with the team batting first winning 11 of those. However, chasing should still remain a more preferred option as having a target in front helps the batters. Our toss prediction is that Punjab Kings will win the toss and opt to field first. 

Man of the match prediction: Virat Kohli 

Virat Kohli is the leading run-scorer in the IPL 2024 although his strike rate did come under the scanner at times. He has scored 542 runs from 11 innings at an average of 68 while striking at 148. He has registered one century and four half centuries in the competition. Back Kohli to come good in this game as well.

Betting Odds

• Punjab Kings: 2.16 (PARIMATCH)
• Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1.69 (PARIMATCH)

As per the bookmakers, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are favourites heading into this game. RCB have 1.69 odds of winning this match whereas PBKS have a bigger task with higher odds of 2.16.