Predicted XI of Rajasthan Royals for Match 8 of IPL 2023

image-lg244bqdRajasthan Royals defeated SRH in their first game [iplt20.com]

Rajasthan Royals (RR) crushed Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in their opening game of IPL 2023. It was a complete performance from the 2022 IPL runners-up, led by Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson.

Having scored a mammoth 203 batting first, the Royals restricted SRH for a paltry 131 and made a strong opening statement and gave a stern warning to the other teams.

They are up against another winning team Punjab Kings and will be looking to continue the winning formula against the Shikhar Dhawan led team.


Here's the predicted XI for Rajasthan Royals against the Punjab Kings

Openers

Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal

The opening combination will remain the same for Rajasthan Royals. Both Jaiswal and Buttler scored terrific fifties in the opening match against SRH and are the pioneers of the attacking cricket that RR are known for as of late.

Middle-Order

Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder

The Rajasthan Royals captain, Sanju Samson will occupy the number three spot. He scored a blistering 55 in the last match and will be eager to continue the good run for the Royals.

Padikkal has ben woefully out of touch, but the southpaw has the potential to be a terrific batter. Rajasthan franchise are known to back their players and he should occupy the number four slot in the batting order.

A vital cog in the middle order, Hetmyer can be a perfect anchor and can switch gears in a fraction of a second. His contribution at number five last season was crucial for RR's road to the finale.

The decision to keep Riyan Parag in the playing XI even after so many failures baffles everyone. A batter with immense potential, Parag has not fulfilled it yet, but RR will count on him to come good in the game against Punjab Kings.

Why wasn't Jason Holder promoted in the last game? Bought for INR 5.5 crore, Holder is an exceptional all-rounder and is a perfect finisher for RR at number 7. PBKS need to have an eye on him.

Bowlers

Ravichandran Ashwin, KM Asif, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal

In the last game, Ashwin was promoted at fifth down, but with a plethora of talent available in the batting department, RR should focus on keeping him at number 8 for the match against PBKS. Moreover, he is the perfect spin bowling partner for Yuzvendra Chahal.

If Kuldeep Sen if fit and raring to go, then he should directly come in place of KM Asif. However, it looks like RR won't take any gamble regarding his injury and Asif will get another opportunity to shine at the big stage.

Trent Boult broke the backbone of SRH top-order in the last match. A world-class swing bowler, his opening spell will once again be pivotal for RR's success in the game against PBKS.

What more can you say about Yuzvendra Chahal? Released by RCB ahead of last season's IPL, he repaid RR's faith by picking up 26 wickets. And again he started the 2023 season with a bang, picking up 4 wickets. PBKS batters need to be vary of him.

Five Impact Players

Sandeep Sharma

Navdeep Saini

Donovan Ferreira

Murugan Ashwin

Dhruv Jurel