Rajasthan Royals had a great start this season as they defeated the Sunrisers by 72 runs in their first game of IPL 2023. Their batters and bowlers are in good form and will be very confident coming into this game.
Punjab Kings, meanwhile, also won their first game of this season. They defeated the Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 runs (DLS Method). The batters put up a good score and the bowlers were disciplined with the ball and defended the total. They have had a good start like every season and they’ll need to be consistent as a team if they are to do well.
Team Preview
Rajasthan Royals
Rajasthan Royals have one of the strongest and most balanced squads in the tournament. They have excellent depth in their batting with the likes of Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag and Jason Holder. They have the luxury to promote Ravi Ashwin as well.
The Royals have a good variety with the ball as well. They have Trent Boult, Jason Holder, KM Asif and Kuldeep Sen in the pace department while Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal are their main spinners. They also have Adam Zampa in their ranks while Riyan Parag can also roll his arm if required. Rajasthan will look to continue the winning momentum in this game.
Punjab Kings
Punjab Kings won the first game on the back of a good all-round performance from their team. All the batters contributed, especially Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Shikhar Dhawan. The bowlers were on point as well with Arshdeep Singh leading from the front. Sam Curran contributed with both bat and ball. Sikandar Raza was good as well. Punjab has an explosive batting unit but they have some issues with the batting depth and this is where the impact player rule comes to their rescue.
Liam Livingstone’s absence is a big blow to them and there are reports that Kagiso Rabada may miss a few games as well. But they’ve got good backups for them in Sikandar Raza and Nathan Ellis respectively. The Punjab Kings will look to register their second consecutive win.
Pitch Venue Report
The pitch at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati is expected to an excellent one for batting. The sample size of this ground is too low but the batters have enjoyed their time at this venue. There have been 2 T20Is played here and the average 1st innings score is 178 runs. The highest score here is 237 runs in T20Is and 373 in ODIs. There will be some help for the pacers in the power play but other than that, the batters will dominate the match.
Probable Playing XI
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Sam Curran, Shahrukh Khan, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis/Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Players to Watch Out For
Jos Buttler
Jos Buttler started off from where he left in the last season. He scored 54 off just 22 deliveries and helped his side to a flying start. We saw the best of Buttler in the last season and it looks as if he’s on the way to repeating something similar this season.
Sanju Samson
Sanju Samson scored 55 runs including 3 fours and 4 sixes. He ensured that Rajasthan ends up with a big total. He’s the key batter for his team in the middle overs and he can take down any bowling attack once he gets going.
Shikhar Dhawan
Shikhar Dhawan scored 40 runs in the first game. He wasn’t at his best but he played well. Dhawan’s role in this side is to hold one end and bat for a longer period with the others batting around him. He’s one of the best batters in the IPL and will look to score big in this game.
Sam Curran
Sam Curran scored crucial 26* runs with the bat and then he picked up the all-important wicket of Andre Russell to close the game for Punjab. Curran will play a key role with both bat and ball.
Key Matchups
Jos Buttler vs Arshdeep Singh: Runs – 15, Balls – 13, Dismissals – 1
Sanju Samson vs Arshdeep Singh: Runs – 49, Balls – 26, Dismissals – 1
Shikhar Dhawan vs Trent Boult: Runs – 68, Balls – 61, Dismissals – 1
Shikhar Dhawan vs Yuzvendra Chahal: Runs – 73, Balls – 64, Dismissals – 3
RR vs PBKS Dream11 Team
Note: This is not our final Dream11 Team as we are not aware of the Toss Result/Final Playing XI of both teams at this moment.
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