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Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Preview: Teams looking to reboot
- Rajasthan Royals will take on Punjab Kings in match #4 of IPL 2021 on Monday
- This match will be played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai
- Rajasthan Royals posted the highest .powerplay score of the match in their last 4 matches against Punjab Kings
- Rajasthan Royals have lost 6 of their last 10 matches against Punjab Kings
- Punjab Kings have hit more 6s than Rajasthan Royals in 5 of their last 7 matches
KL Rahul will look to carry his form from the India vs England ODIs to the IPL (Getty Images)
Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) had near-identical campaigns in the Indian Premier League 2020. The two teams start their IPL 2021 campaign facing off at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Monday in this match #4 of the tournament.
Rajasthan Royals Form
The Royals had a busy off-season as they started a complete revamp for the new campaign. Sanju Samson has been picked up as captain, while Chris Morris, Liam Livingston and Shivam Dube have been added to the roster.
Rajasthan struggled last season at both ends of the bowling innings conceding the most runs in the powerplay and in the death overs. With the new faces in the side, Samson is expected to lead the revival of fortunes for the inaugural IPL season champions.
Rajasthan Royals News
Jofra Archer sustained a hand injury and is out of contention for at least the first four matches. New recruit Mustafizur Rahman is also set to miss due to quarantine rules.
Punjab Kings Form
Having gone through a name change in the off-season, the Punjab Kings also went aggressively with their player purchases. The likes of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith are expected to provide extreme pace, while Dawid Malan gives stability with the bat.
It will be the top-order batting of the Kings that will be in focus. Captain KL Rahul, Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal provide a solid trio at the top of the order. With the ball, Mohammed Shami will be rearing to go after sitting out of action since the Australian ODI tour.
Punjab Kings News
The entire squad is available for selection.
Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Head-to-Head
Rajasthan Royals have an edge in career head-to-head with a win-loss record of 12-9. That includes winning the last two matches.
Last year’s first match saw Sanju Samson’s electrifying 85 help the Royals chase down 226 in the final over. This, after Mayank Agarwal’s scintillating 106 set a steep target. The second match saw Chris Gayle’s 99 help the Kings score 185/4 but the Royals chased it easily with Ben Stokes stroking a quick-fire 50.
Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Match Up
Both teams boast of strong six hitters and have struggled to contain the big shots last season. Expect sparks to fly as the two teams look to make the most of their respective strong top-orders. The Royals have a slightly weakened bowling unit after Archer is ruled out. The Kings have all their first-choice picks ready for selection.
Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Stats
- Rajasthan Royals scored the highest in powerplay in each of their last 4 matches against Punjab Kings.
- Rajasthan Royals have lost 6 of their last 10 matches against Punjab Kings.
- Sanju Samson had scores of 48 and 85 against Punjab Kings last season.
- Punjab Kings have hit more 6s than Rajasthan Royals in 5 of their last 7 matches between the sides.
- KL Rahul hit 4 scores of 50 and above in his last 6 matches against Rajasthan Royals, top-scoring in 3.
Prediction
Both Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings had nightmare IPL 2020 seasons and would be keen for a reboot. Both teams were massive with their six hitting, but equally struggled to contain the sixes when they bowled. That makes this match a ripe contest to see a lot of big shots flying around. The Royals are expected to have Jos Buttler open the innings which gives them strong impetus. Back them to score more in the powerplay, while backing Rahul to be the Kings’ top-batsman could be a wildcard pick.
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