Guwahati:A thorough-going display in their first game and a side that seems to be ticking all the boxes to lay their claim on the IPL title for the second time, the Rajasthan Royals (RR) side will now look to keep the show up and running when they face a belligerent Punjab Kings team in the IPL match here on Wednesday.
The Royals registered a commanding victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad team (SRH) in their last match. The gulf of 72 runs will bring the self-assurance and belief that a team requires for the seniors as well as the up-and-coming players alike to calm their jangled nerves just right ahead of the big matches.
When one examines the components of the team, it appears there are hardly any bad cogs in the engine. In the batting line-up, Yashasvi Jaiswal appears a far more accomplished player in terms of maturity while Jos Buttler has been cobbling bowlers like he always does. Both of them smashed half-centuries in their last match.
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The bowling, meanwhile, is equally menacing with the presence of one of the world's best Trent Boult, who picked two wickets while conceding just 21 runs in his four overs quota. To top it off, the leg-spin of Yuzvendra Chahal (4-17) has been daunting in this league as far as the history goes and he is writing a similar script for his current team.
The clash between the two will be worth watching for as Punjab Kings have shown the weaponry they possess and how they can go from hurting the other team to all-out blazing to demolish them. The exhibition of it was displayed by them against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) which they won by seven runs via DRS method.
The Rajasthan team, who fetched its immense brand value on account of Shane Warne's popularity around the globe, will have a chance to create a fan base in Assam as the northeastern state has barely witnessed any IPL matches in the region.
However, if one is forced to find faults within the Royals' side, a point of contention can be it middle-order conundrum with Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag, both getting back into the hut after being dismissed cheaply in the last match. West Indies' Shimron Hetmyer, nevertheless, had the firepower to take his side cross the 200-run mark.