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.
The PBKS side will have to face the likes of Chahal and Boult. Rajasthan also have the brains and skills of R Ashwin, a fierce competitor who can never be out of the game. And the Punjab team knows that to register a victory here is a mountain to climb unlike the smooth ride over Kolkata Knight Riders in their last game.
The Punjab team will bank on the experience of Shikhar Dhawan, who can stay and stitch partnerships and can up the ante of his game at will. Arshdeep Singh will once again be their lead bowler and Punjab will expect him to take on Rajasthan's batting line-up early.
The team in red also awaits the return of Liam Livingstone after he missed out on the opening match against KKR as he was not provided the due clearance by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after sustaining knee injury in December last year.
The Punjab Kings side will pin their hopes on Sam Curran, who bagged Rs 18.50 crore -- the most expensive in the IPL, Livingstone and Arshdeep as they look to win the tournament for the very first time.
The Teams (From):
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 begins at 7:30pm IST.
