Rajasthan Royals can be banking on their near-perfect mixtures in virtually all departments of the sport to place up one other commanding efficiency once they tackle a robust Punjab Kings facet in an IPL match in Guwahati on April 5.
The Royals can be buoyed by the large 72-run victory against Sunrisers Hyderabad, who have been outsmarted by final yr’s runners-up in each facet of the sport on April 2.
With Yashasvi Jaiswal, red-hot England white-ball skipper Jos Buttler and captain Sanju Samson smashing half-centuries against SRH, the Royals’ dominance with the bat was there for all to see, whereas their bowlers, led by Yuzvendra Chahal (4/17) and New Zealand fast Trent Boult (2/21), have been greater than a handful for SRH.
But with Punjab Kings additionally giving a sign of their immense firepower with each the bat and the ball of their seven-run DLS win against Kolkata Kinght Riders at Mohali, the match on Wednesday guarantees to offer the spectators in Guwahati good worth for cash.
With RR taking part in two of their ‘home’ matches within the Northeastern metropolis, a successful efficiency from Samson’s facet won’t solely construct their model worth in Guwahati, it would additionally broaden their fan base within the area, which has seen valuable little IPL motion over time.
The depth in Royals’ batting is such that it may possibly face up to any bowling assault. If younger Yashasvi’s 37-ball 54 on the prime confirmed how shortly he has matured as an opener, Buttler gave the impression to be carrying on from the place he had left off within the earlier season, smashing a 22-ball 54.
The solely weak hyperlink, if any, gave the impression to be their center the place Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag have been each dismissed cheaply, earlier than West Indian Shimron Hetmyer took the group past the 200-run mark.
With a bowling lineup boasting of one of many premier pacers on the planet in Boult together with two Indian stalwarts in Chahal and R. Ashwin, the Royals can soften up probably the most resolute batting sides. And PBKS know they’ve an uphill process when the 2 groups conflict on the Barsapara Cricket Stadium.
While the expertise of top-order India batter Shikhar Dhawan will turn out to be useful together with the bowling prowess of younger left-arm India pacer Arshdeep Singh, the group can be eagerly awaiting the return of England power-hitter Liam Livingstone, who missed the opener against KKR after not getting the health clearance from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The batter had suffered a knee harm in December final.
The English pair of Livingstone and tempo bowling all-rounder Sam Curran — the costliest purchase ever in IPL historical past at Rs 18.50 crore — may very well be PBKS’ trump card this season together with the lanky left-arm fast Arshdeep.
Teams
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Abdul Basith, Murugan Ashwin, Ravichandran Ashwin, KM Asif, Trent Boult, Jos Buttler, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Donovan Ferreira, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Obed McCoy, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Kunal Singh Rathore, Joe Root, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vasisht, Kuldip Yadav, Adam Zampa.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Raj Bawa, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, Vidwath Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathee, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shahrukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Matthew Short, Sikandar Raza, Atharva Taide.
Match Starts at 7:30 p.m. IST.
