Predicted XI of Rajasthan Royals for game 26 of IPL 2023
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Shimron Hetmyer playing a shot against GT (AP Photo)
It is time for 26th game of IPL 2023 and we have two in-form teams going up against each other. It is Rajasthan Royals (RR) locking horns against Lucknow SuperGiants (LSG) and the it i the first time Sanju Samson led unit will play at Jaipur this season. They have been pretty successful on the road and we can expect them to deliver strong performances in front of their passionate home crowd as well.
RR are sitting at the top of the table currently with four wins in five games and let us now see their predicted playing XI for the game 26 against LSG.
Openers
Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal
Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal have been the most dominant opening pair of IPL 2023. Both of them have scored runs at an impressive strike rate and have played major role in couple of wins for RR this season. Buttler, the Orange Cap holder of the last season has scored three fifties so far while his young opening partner has notched up two fifties as well. Expect them to come out all guns blazing again.
Middle Order
Devdutt Padikkal
The left-handed batter has batted at number 3 position for RR in the last two games and he has looked pretty good at that position. He is naturally an opener and we might soon see him delivering that big performance for RR.
Sanju Samson
The RR skipper played a fantastic knock of 60 off 32 balls in the last game to stage a brilliant fightback. Sanju has matured as a cricketer over the years and is looking pretty determined to lead from the front for his side. Expect him to go bang bang again!
Shimron Hetmyer
The swashbuckling southpaw is an absolute match-winner and can change the complexion of the game within few deliveries. He played a match-winning knock of 56 off 26 balls and is the second highest run-scorer for RR after Jos Buttler this season. He is a critical asset for RR.
Dhruv Jurel
The young man has shown some good finishing skills in the limited opportunities he has got. He is one of the brightest young talents in India currently and RR management seem to be pretty interested in backing this talent.
All-rounders
Jason Holder
Holder was dropped in the last game against GT as Adam Zampa was preferred over him based on the conditions. However, in Jaipur, Holder might get back into the playing XI given his all-round abilities. Also, RR have not used Holder's batting prowess so far and it is high time they use the talent like Holder to its full potential.
Ravichandran Ashwin
The Indian legend has delivered some impact performances both with the bat and ball this season. He was the player of the match against CSK and has taken six wickets so far. LSG have some powerful batters in their line-up and Ashwin's bag of tricks could prove very handy in the middle overs.
Bowlers
Trent Boult
The Kiwi pacer has been absolutely fantastic with the new ball again this season. He has the knack of picking big wickets in the first over as well and is an important asset for RR. His favourable match-up against KL Rahul is also a great news for RR.
Sandeep Sharma
The right-arm pacer became the talk of the town when he bowled some superb yorkers in the last over against Dhoni-Jadeja to seal a tense win for his side. His death-bowling skills are important for RR and he also has the ability to swing the new ball both ways which makes him a complete package.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal bowling against RR (AP Photo)
The leg-spinner is a genuine wicket-taker and just like last season, he has been fantastic in crucial junctures for his team. He has picked 11 wickets from 5 matches so far and expect the leggie to play a big role against LSG.
Impact Performances
Riyan Parag
Joe Root
Donavon Ferreira
Kuldip Yadav
Murugan Ashwin
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