The stage is set for a thrilling showdown as Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals prepare to face each other on Saturday at Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh. Both sides are riding high on momentum, with Punjab Kings coming off two consecutive victories and Royals securing a well-earned win in their last outing.
Kings, having dominated their first two games, are entering the match with confidence and are looking to continue their impressive run. Punjab’s top-order batting has been in red-hot form, and their bowlers have been firing on all cylinders. Moreover, their middle order is bedecked with Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis and Marco Jansen, who have been tremendously helpful.
Meanwhile, Royals are not to be underestimated. They come into this match after a solid victory against the high-profile Chennai Super Kings, where their bowlers and batters delivered a clinical performance. Against Chennai, Nitish Rana (81) had powered Royals to a brilliant total of (182), which CSK failed to chase.
In a big boost for RR, Sanju Samson is set to return as their skipper after being cleared by the Centre of Excellence to keep wicket following a finger injury. In the first three games, Samson had only played as a proper batter. In his absence, Ryan Parag had led the side.
Head to head
Matches - 28
PBKS won - 12
RR won - 16
Punjab Kings probable XII: Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Suryansh Shedge, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal, Vijaykumar Vyshak
Rajasthan Royals probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Shubham Dubey