In the 27th match of the 2024 Indian Premier League season, the stage is set for a thrilling showdown on Saturday between two neighbouring teams from the North, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals at the newly constructed Mullanpur Stadium, nestled in the outskirts of Chandigarh.
Led by Shikhar Dhawan, the Kings will face off against the table-toppers Royals, captained by the in-form Sanju Samson, in a match of significant importance for both sides. However, the hosts are expected to be more desperate for a win than the visitors, given Punjab’s current struggle in the middle of the points table.
The Men in Red currently find themselves positioned at number 7 on the table, with two wins and three losses in their five outings while the Jaipur-based franchise sits comfortably atop the table with four wins out of five matches in the ongoing tournament.
What has happened so far?
Under the leadership of Dhawan, PBKS kicked off their campaign with a nail-biting 4-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals, only to falter in subsequent matches against Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Lucknow Supergiants, losing by margins of 4 wickets and 21 runs respectively.
Their fourth encounter against Gujarat Titans saw another thrilling finish, as Punjab successfully chased down 200 runs with just three wickets in hand, courtesy of Shashank Singh’s resilient half-century and Ashutosh Sharma’s quickfire 31 runs. Their partnership was tested again in a tense showdown against Sunrisers Hyderabad where they required 39 runs off the last two overs but fell short by a mere 2 runs.
Conversely, Rajasthan Royals have dominated the tournament’s early stages, securing convincing victories over LSG, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru.
Despite the poor form of their opening batters, RR conquered the victory in their first three matches and Jos Buttler announced his return to form against RCB smashing a 58-ball ton to negate Virat Kohli’s efforts from the first innings.
However, their unbeaten streak came to an abrupt halt in a fiercely contested match against Gujarat Titans at Jaipur, where the visitors clinched a thrilling last-ball victory by 3 wickets.
Head to Head Record
In their 26 previous meetings, RR has emerged victorious 15 times, outpacing PBKS who have secured 11 wins. Despite RR’s historical advantage, their recent face-offs have been closely contested, with RR triumphing 3 times in the last 5 matches, compared to PBKS’s 2 victories.
The last time they met, both teams were in desperate need of two points as the playoff ticket was at stake. The Royals clinched the match by 4 wickets, chasing down the target of 188 runs courtesy of half-centuries from Yashasvi Jaiswal and Devdutt Padikkal.
Key Players
Shashank Singh (Punjab Kings): The uncapped Indian player, Shashank Singh, has garnered widespread acclaim for his thunderous power-hitting, particularly during the crucial death overs, where he has often left opposition bowlers reeling.
With his clean striking, the 32-year-old batsman seized the Player of the Match trophy against GT for his match-winning 61-run knock, coming in just 29 balls. In the latest match against SRH at home, Shashank smashed 46 off 25 balls, narrowly missing out on winning the match for his team.
In the PBKS camp, the duo of Shashank and Ashutosh have emerged as the backbone of the middle order, shouldering the burden of the team’s performance while others are yet to reach their peak form.
Chahal recently became the 7th spinner to play 150 IPL matches
Yuzvendra Chahal (Rajasthan Royals): The Royals’ premier leg-spinner, Yuzvendra Chahal continues to weave his magic with his tactical bowling, as he does season after season.
Leading the charts as the highest wicket-taker in the cash-rich league, the leggie from Haryana is on the cusp of a historic milestone, just three wickets away from becoming the first bowler ever in the tournament’s history to claim 200 wickets.
In IPL 2024, Chahal currently holds the Purple Cap for securing the most wickets this season so far. With an average, strike rate, and economy rate of 13.20, 10.80, and 7.33 respectively, he has claimed 10 wickets in 5 matches so far and is expected to add to his tally in the upcoming fixtures.
Team News from Both Camps
In the hosts’ camp, concerns loom as their overseas batting all-rounder, Liam Livingstone nursing a hamstring injury, is likely to remain sidelined for the upcoming match. Additionally, the struggling form of opener Jonny Bairstow adds to their worries.
On the other hand, the Kumar Sangakkara-led side, already grappling with the absence of pacer Sandeep Sharma due to injury, received another blow as pacer Nandre Burger was also sidelined, resulting in his absence from the recent match against the Titans.
Predicted XIs
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan ©, Jonny Bairstow, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shashank Singh, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson © (wk), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal
Prediction
Based on their current form, the team in the Pink Jersey appears to be in a superior position compared to the Punjab Kings. Additionally, the majority of RR players are displaying excellent form, indicating a promising outlook for their upcoming match.
Despite a recent defeat, Sanju’s squad seems primed to seize victory at the home ground of the hosts this Saturday.