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IPL 2021 | PBKS vs RR: Inconsistent Kings, underachieving Royals seek flourishing finish

Mayank Kumar

When the 14th edition of the Indian Premier League was halted in awake of multiple Covid-19 cases in more than one franchise, there would have been two sides if not more that would have welcomed a break although it came in an unwanted manner.

Both the Punjab Kings and the Rajasthan Royals would not have hated the prospect of a reset earlier in May and more so, the Royals would have hoped to use the break for better and get things in order. They also suffered from severe inconsistency and did not play like a team and hence the break would have rejuvenated the players.

The Royals would have also hoped for getting their trump cards in Jofra Archer and Ben Stokes back in the camp with a long layoff. However, instead, their problems in terms of having England superstars have only been compounded as Jos Buttler has pulled out of the league.

The Kings too suffered a similar fate with their skipper KL Rahul getting ruled out of the tournament and if it would not for the Covid disruption, they would have had to manage without their batsmen in the critical juncture of the competition.

Now, as the Kings and the Royals come head to head in the second game of the revamped IPL 2021, both KL Rahul and Sanju Samson would be looking forward to putting inconsistency behind them and embark on a clinical journey to ensure a smooth path towards the play-off.

Rahul and Samson: Similar fortunes, different processes

Royals’ skipper Sanju Samson has not been named in India’s squad for the upcoming World T20 and he would like to put on performances to establish what he brings to the table. 

Although he rated the mindset of having an eye on India selection while playing in IPL a “wring mindset”, he would be the first to admit that it is the larger picture that every young Indian player has in their minds.

Samson has been there on the IPL stage for a long time now and he has earned the reputation of being both an extraordinary striker of the ball, who times the ball imperiously as well a batsman who fail to see the larger picture on most occasions and throws his wicket away. Maybe, it’s his quality of overlooking the larger picture that allows him to go for the full glory which produces match-winning innings.

The Royals will need their skipper to put his hands up in the absence of marquee players if they have to stand chance to get through the first stage of the league. 

The Kings’ skipper KL Rahul has been scrutinised for contrasting bit of frailties. He has been found out batting conservatively and not attacking the ball enough to propel the sides. 

He has been criticised for not scoring quickly in the last few seasons of the IPL and his intent has been in question by fans and watchers. 

His case is exactly opposite to Samson but where do they live similar lives is that both of them form the core and the determining factor of the batting orders of their respective sides. Samson has not let the responsibility affect his game in terms of losing his batting temp while Rahul has gone in with the attitude of shielding his team first before taking the game to the opposition camp.

If either of the sides has to go past the first round, they will have to show better consistency and team performance than they did in the first half of the tournament or else they will be forced to pack bags very soon with the level of competition heating up in the desert.

Match Details

Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals

Match no.: 32

Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai

Time: 19:30 IST (14:00 GMT), 18:00 Local

Broadcast: Star Sports network, Disney +Hotstar

Pitch and weather

There was pace and bounce on the pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium in the last game played at the venue between the Mumbai Indians and the Chennai Super Kings and there is little to no evidence that it won’t be the same for the next game.

Both the sides have able bowling attacks that can take advantage of pace and bounce with the new ball however it could also start to slow down in the second innings and the Kings will have more variety and flair in the bowling attack with two leg spinners in the squad to cover for both scenarios.

A high level of humidity in the first game helped the pacer generate swing and the trend of high humidity is likely to be continued.

Team News

Punjab Kings

The Kings will miss the Australian pace duo of Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson on the surface priming ample assistance to pacers but the introduction of Nathan Ellis should serve their purpose.

India’s Mohammed Shami could offer new ball opportunities for KL Rahul while Chris Jordan can also help the Kings with death bowling. 

They also have a highly experienced and successful bowler of this format in Adil Rashid and the Kings might pull a rabbit out of the hat by teaming him with the rookie Ravi Bishnoi.

The batting order looks settled with the skipper Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and the “universe boss” Chris Gayle forming the top order and the likes of Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda and Shahrukh Khan providing the X-factor to the middle order.

Probable XI

KL Rahul (C &WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Shahrukh Khan, Chris Jordan, Adil Rashid, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh

RR

The men in pink will be hoping that Evin Lewis would not let them miss the firepower of Jos Buttler and the left-hander has been in the form of his life to promise just what the Royals are expecting of him.

The young Yashasvi Jaiswal has not cracked the IPL code yet but the Royals are not likely to give up on him midway through the season. The skipper Samson will have to take the bulk of the responsibility of the Royals’ batting fortunes in the remaining eight matches of the season.

Chris Morris was in great batting and bowling form in the first half and they would be expecting nothing less than match-winning performances every now and then of him.

The Royals signed up the number one bowler in the ICC T20 Rankings, Tabraiz Shamsi and he is most likely to play ahead of Mustafizur Rahman at least at the start of the competition. He has been flummoxing batsmen all across the world with his variations and the Royals would love to throw him against the bullish stroke-making batting lineup of the Kings.

Probable XI

Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C &WK), David Miller, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Jaydev Unadkat, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chetan Sakariya

PBKS vs RR: Fantasy XI

Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Sanju Samson (wicketkeeper), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Adil Rashid, Mohammed Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Chetan Sakariya

Captain: KL Rahul 

Vice-captain: Sanju Samson 

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