RR vs PBKS Match Preview, Player Stats and Pitch Reports.......

RR VS PBKS MATCH PREVIEW

RR:

The Royals are continuing their good run from the last season and have started this season on a positive note after winning the first game against the Sunrisers and completely outplayed them.

Batting first, their openers were just brilliant and were smacking the bowlers all around the park in the powerplay. Jos Buttler, Yashasi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson all batted brilliantly and notched up a fifty each.

With the ball, their bowlers were also fantastic and picked up wickets at regular intervals. Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick from the bowlers and picked up 4 wickets. Trent Boult was also brilliant in the powerplay and picked up 2 wickets each.

Punjab King's

The Punjab Kings on the other hand, have also announced themselves this season after a thumping win against the Knight Riders in their first game. They looked brilliant with both bat and ball.

Batting first, their batters batted very well and posted a massive total of 191 runs on the board. Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa were the top scorers of the match and scored 40 and 50 runs respectively.

With the ball, their bowlers never let the SRH batters to settle and bowled exactly to their plans. Arshdeep Singh continues his purple patch and picked up 3 wickets in the last game. They will look to continue their winning momentum.

Probable Playing XI

RR

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(c/wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal

PBKS

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh

Key Players to Watch/Key Stats

Rajasthan Royals

Since the start of IPL 2018, Jos Buttler has smashed 306 runs against Punjab at an average of 43.71 and strike rate of 150.

In all T20s, Buttler has great numbers against Rabada (56 balls, 96 runs, one dismissal).

Yashasvi Jaiswal has struck scores of 68 and 49 at a strike rate of 151.95 against Punjab. He was player of the match against them last season.

Sanju Samson has the most runs in RR-PBKS matches. The captain has belted 552 runs in 15 innings at an average of 46.00 and strike rate of 152.91.

Samson has hit 49 off just 26 balls against Arshdeep (one dismissal), 26 off 17 against Rabada (one dismissal) and 44 off 28 against Rahul Chahar (one dismissal).

Trent Boult started IPL 2023 brilliantly, with two wickets in his first over against SRH. However, he has historically struggled against PBKS, with eight wickets in ten matches at an average of 42.63 and economy of 9.34.

Yuzvendra Chahal is on fire. The classy legspinner has taken 31 wickets in his last 18 IPL matches, including 4/17 against SRH and 3/28 against PBKS last season.

Chahal career record vs PBKS: 17 matches, 28 wickets, avg. 16.25, SR 12.46.

Punjab Kings

Shikhar Dhawan has scored 576 runs against RR at an average of 28.80 and strike rate of 126.59. He has good numbers in T20s against Trent Boult, with 102 runs in 81 balls (two dismissals).

Jitesh Sharma hit 38* off 18 balls against RR last season. When batting at number five in T20s, Jitesh has scored 406 runs at an average of 58.00 and strike rate of 196.14.

Bhanuka Rajapaksa showcased what he is capable of in the first match against KKR. The hard-hitting left-hander hit 50 off 32 balls.

Arshdeep Singh was outstanding in Punjab’s first game. He took 3/18. Also, he has an good wicket-taking record against RR, with 12 wickets in five matches at an average of 14.42.

Arshdeep has dismissed Buttler once in 20 balls and has only conceded 20 runs. He has also dismissed Jaiswal once in five balls (two runs).

Sam Curran made a promising start to life as the most expensive IPL player. He struck 26* (17) and took 1/38 against KKR. Something to build on.

Kagiso Rabada has taken ten wickets in six matches against Royals (avg. 20.60, SR 14.20).

Other Stats and Facts

• Head-to-head: Matches 24, Rajasthan Royals 14, Punjab Kings 10.

• Since the start of 2022, Buttler has smashed 917 runs in the IPL at an average of 57.3 and strike rate of 152.6.

• Shimron Hetmyer is key as the finisher for RR. He struck 31* off 16 balls against PBKS last season.

• R Ashwin has overall figures of 4/85 off 97 balls in T20s against Shikhar Dhawan.

• Rahul Chahar vs Royals: 6 matches, 7 wickets, avg 20.14, econ. 6.71.

• Watch out for Prabhsimran Singh, who hit an impressive 23 off 12 balls against KKR. He was dismissed in unlucky fashion down the legside.

Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati Pitch Report and Weather

The Royals will play their first two home matches at Guwahati before moving to Sawai Masingh Stadium in Jaipur. Expect a true, fresh pitch for this clash. Last year, India (237/3) and South Africa (221/3) played out a very high-scoring T20I. Kagiso Rabada took 0/57 in four overs, Arshdeep Singh 2/62 and R Ashwin 0/37.

A warm and mostly clear evening is forecast, so the captain who wins the toss is likely to field with dew and the relatively small ground dimensions.