Key Points

The clash between RCB and PBKS would be a clash of two in-form teams at M Chinnaswammy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. With four wins and two losses each, RCB and PBKS are at third and fourth spot in the points table and are heading into the match after massive wins over Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets and 16 runs win over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) while defending 112 runs respectively.

Speaking in the pre-match presser, Bhuvneshwar said about his and Hazlewood's role in the side, as quoted by an RCB press note, "The role cannot be defined before the match. Normally, if you look at our bowling, Hazlewood and I both bowl with the new ball, and both bowl at the death. So it is a pretty standard role we have, but it keeps changing from match to match. It depends on how we bowl in the first few overs, how the team is batting, and so on. But yes, being experienced bowlers, we both want to take wickets and want to do well for the team."

In six matches, Hazlewood has nine wickets at an average of 21.00, with best figures of 3/21 and economy rate of 8.65. In five matches, Bhuvneshwar has taken six wickets at an average of 24.83, with best figures of 2/26.

Speaking about skipper Patidar, Bhuvneshwar said, "He has been very good. The best thing is that he has been calm. That is what we need, especially in this format, because when you lose a match, the easy thing is to panic, and that is what he has not done. We lost two matches, but he was the same whether we won or lost."

On his team's preparation for the match against Punjab, Bhuvneshwar said, "Our preparation is as usual, nothing different. What we do for any opposition on any ground, it is going to be the same. We know the Chinnaswamy is known for batting, but if you look at the wicket, it is not the same as what it used to be. I do not know the reason, but yes, whether we bowl or bat first, we will look at the first few overs and then see how the wicket plays, and then we will decide how to approach things accordingly."

- ANI