Today at IPL 2022, RCB vs PBKS: Bangalore take on Punjab as race to playoffs intensifies

Today at IPL 2022, RCB vs PBKS: Punjab Kings will have to go past Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have found much-needed momentum towards the business end of the IPL, to stay alive in the playoff race.

Punjab Kings will look to seal a win and keep their playoff hopes alive when they take on Royal Challengers Bangalore in a crucial IPL 2022 match at Mumbai's Brabourne Stadium on Friday.

Barring Virat Kohli, all of their batters are in top form with uncapped Rajat Patidar and Mahipal Lomror complementing seasoned pros like skipper Faf du Plessis, Glenn Maxwell and Dinesh Karthik, who has been among the best finishers in the tournament alongside Gujarat's Rahul Tewatia.

Kohli, who is in the middle of his worst IPL season, is due for an impact knock and that could come against Punjab. A win on Friday would take RCB to 16 points, though 18 seems to be a safe number for a play-off berth.

Punjab, who have three games left, need to win all to have a shot at the top-four finish. They had started their campaign with a win over RCB and are on 10 points with five wins and six losses.

The fact that they have not been able to win two games in a row sums up their inconsistent run.

Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa have delivered at the top, so has Liam Livingstone and Jitesh Sharma in finishing the innings. Jonny Bairstow finally got runs after being promoted to open the innings alongside Dhawan.

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