Royals ready to challenge Punjab Kings after big win against Sunrisers
Riding high on the confidence of their resounding win against Sunrisers Hyderabad, Rajasthan Royals will look to build on their balanced squad to put up another strong show against Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League here on Wednesday. Last year’s runners-up Royals outplayed the Hyderabadi outfit in every department of the game during their 72-run victory on Sunday. The Royals batsmen dominated with half-centuries from opener Yashasvi Jaiswal and in-form England limited-overs skipper Jos Buttler and skipper Sanju Samson.
The team then dismantled the Sunrisers batting line-up with the sharp bowling of Yuzvendra Chahal (4/17) and Trent Boult (2/21). Punjab Kings, however, showed glimpses of their batting and bowling prowess during their seven-run win against Kolkata Knight Riders in Mohali under the Duckworth-Lewis method, which is expected to turn out to be an exciting encounter in Guwahati on Wednesday. The match will be the Royals’ ‘home’ game and the Northeast will get to host an IPL match for the first time.
The Royals have depth in their batting. Young Yashasvi showed how fast he has matured during his 37-ball 54 while Buttler continued his form from last season with a 22-ball 54. Although Devdutt Padikkal and Riyan Parag were dismissed cheaply in the middle order, West Indies’ Shimron Hetmyer took the team’s score past 200 runs. The bowling of the Royals also looks strong.
The team has one of the best fast bowlers in the world in Bolt. Apart from this, two veteran Indian spinners Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin are also part of the team and the Punjab team knows that their road will not be easy against them at the Barsapara Stadium. Punjab has an experienced Indian batsman in the form of Shikhar Dhawan at the top of the order. The team’s bowling attack is led by India’s left-arm fast bowler Arshdeep Singh.
The team, however, is waiting for England’s attacking batsman Liam Livingstone, who has not received fitness clearance from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). He suffered a knee injury in December last year. England all-rounder Sam Curran, who became the most expensive player in IPL history with Rs 18 crore and Rs 50 lakh, Livingstone and Arshdeep could prove to be the trump cards for the Punjab team in the current season.
Team Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (Captain), Abdul Basit, 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 Rathor, Joe Root, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vashisht, Kuldeep Yadav and Adam Zampa.
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (Captain), Arshdeep Singh, Baltej Singh, Raj Bawa, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Rishi Dhawan, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Harpreet Singh, V Kaverappa, Liam Livingstone, Mohit Rathi, Prabhsimran Singh, Kagiso Rabada , Bhanuka Rajapaksa, M Shah Rukh Khan, Jitesh Sharma, Shivam Singh, Mathew Short, Sikandar Raza and Atharva Tayde. Time: The match will start at 7:30 PM.
