As the 14th edition of IPL advances, fans will get to see Punjab Kings in action as they take on Rajasthan Royals in their opening game of the league. The match is important not just for the teams, but for their captains as well as Punjab's KL Rahul will want to redeem himself from a forgettable last season, with a sublime batting form. Rahul, seen by many as the future Indian skipper, saw his team failing to make it to the knockout stage. He will also remember how the defeat in a super over against Delhi Capitals in the first match got them knocked out of the tournament despite needing 1 run in 3 deliveries in that game.
The biggest concern for the Mohali side has been their inability to seal matches in crunch situations. Also, the fact that the middle order failed to capitalize the start rendered by the top order that consisted of Gayle, Rahul and Aggarwal is a big concern. Adding to this is the problem with the bowlers who seem to have a knack for leaking runs. Punjab management has tried to rectify the issues. They will be hoping that Tamil Nadu’s Shah Rukh Khan will answer to their question of finding a finisher who can bat also in the middle overs. The addition of Richardson and Meredith couls change the fortunes for the bowling department.
Key player:
Ultimately the fate of the side will depend on how KL Rahul performs. With the tournament back in India we can hope to see a much aggressive Rahul, which as we all know is a double edge sword.
Punjab Kings predicted playing XI: KL Rahul (C, WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Moises Henriques, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi
Complete squad: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Prabhsimran Singh, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammed Shami, Moises Henriques, Chris Jordan, Mandeep Singh, Dawid Malan, Jalaj Saxena, Murugan Ashwin, Sarfaraz Khan, Fabian Allen, Saurabh Kumar, Ishan Porel, Utkarsh Singh, Darshan Nalkande, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar
For Rajasthan’s Sanju Samson the performance will be crucial given the fact that he has been overtaken by Pant and Kishan when it comes to the slot of the wicket-keeper batsman in team India. He will hope that stellar performance by the team under the guidance of Kumar Sangakkara could change the fortunes of both the Jaipur side and his own.
For the Jaipur outfit, this edition will be a new beginning. With a new captain and director, the team would be looking to resurrect themselves. The team that won the first season of the tournament and reached the finals of the Champions League has in recent times struggled to make it to the knockout. While the team continues to produce stunning new talents they are a shadow of their old self. The team, which had spent heavily in the last auction will be hurt by the fact that their pace attack—which consists of Jofra Archer, Andrew Tye and Mustafizur Rahman may not be available in its full strength in the initial part of the series.
Key player: Captain Sanju Samson has a history of lighting the tournament on fire in the initial stages, though he fails to continue this good run to the very end. His performance with the bat will be the backbone for the side without any doubt.
Rajasthan Royals predicted playing XI: Jos Buttler (WK), Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson (C), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Liam Livingstone, Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya, Kartik Tyagi
Complete squad: Jos Buttler (WK), Ben Stokes, Sanju Samson(c), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Liam Livingstone, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi, Mustafizur Rahman, Andrew Tye, Jofra Archer, Mayank Markande, Anuj Rawat, Chetan Sakariya, Kuldip Yadav, Yashasvi Jaiswal, David Miller, Manan Vohra, KC Cariappa, Mahipal Lomror, Akash Singh
Match Details:
Timing: Match starts at 7.30 pm and the toss will take place at 7 pm.
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
Where to watch LIVE: Star Sports 1/1HD/1 Hindi/1HD Hindi/1 Tamil/1 Telugu/1 Kannada/1 Bangla/Select 1/Select 1HD. Online viewers can catch the action live on Disney+ Hotstar.
Betting Odds (Betway):
PK: 13/14
RR: 17/16
First Published: Apr 12, 2021 6:27 PM IST
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