Inaugural IPL champions, Rajasthan Royals will square up against perennial underachievers, Punjab Kings in the fourth match of IPL 2021. RR with the addition of Chris Morris are filled with all-round star players. Their weak link remains their Indian fast bowling contingent. They will be without Jofra Archer for the first 4 games. Sanju Samson will be leading RR for the first time.
Punjab Kings entertained one and all with their talent last season. KL Rahul led side fell agonisingly short of a playoff berth in IPL 2020. They made some wholesale changes to their squad by roping in Australian pace bowlers Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. A lot will ride on the shoulders of Nicholas Pooran, KL Rahul, and Mayank Agarwal.
RR vs PK: Recent form (10 matches)
RR had a forgettable IPL 2021. They were the wooden-spooners. Despite having the riches of star players, RR couldn’t quiet click as a unit. They crashed out of the tournament after losing their last league game. RR have won 4 and lost 6 of their last 10 games.
PK were slow to get off the blocks in IPL 2020. They lost out on super-over in their first game. Kings lost even after scoring 223 runs against Royals in IPL 2020. They found the going tough in the initial few games. Kings won only 1 out of their first 7 games. They won 5 on the trot but lost steam at the end of the road. Kings have won 5 and lost 5 out of their last 10 games.
Which players will be match-winners in this game?
Sanju Samson is the newly appointed captain of RR. His free flowing batting style is a treat to watch. If Samson marries class with consistency, he will be an asset.
KL Rahul has been a consistent force for the Punjab Kings in the last 3 years. Rahul’s strike-rate will be on everyone’s radar this year.
X-factor player:
Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler at the top of the order will be RR’s biggest X-factors.
Nicholas Pooran strikes at 165.4 and averages 32.6 in the IPL. He is easily KXIP’s biggest X-factor.
What does stats say about SRH vs KKR?
RR and PK have played 21 IPL games against each other.
RR have won 12 matches. PK have won 9 games.
RR’s highest score against PK is 226. PK’s highest score against RR in 223.
RR’s lowest score against PK is 112. PK’s lowest score against RR in 124.
Probable playing XI:
RR:
Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (WK), Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Kartik Tyagi, Jaydev Unadkat, Mustafizur Rahman
PK:
KL Rahul (WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Jhye Richardson, Riley Meredith, Murugan Ashwin, Ravi Bishnoi, Mohammad Shami
Pitch:
Wankhede is a batting beauty. The bounce will help the batsmen to play their shots. Their might be something in it for the pacers with the new ball.
Weather Report:
A high of 34 degrees and a low of 28 degrees is expected. There are no chances of rain. Dew might play a big factor and teams will prefer to chase under such weather conditions.
Ground stats:
175 is the average score at this venue.
Teams batting first have 52.7% games while teams chasing have won 47.3% in the last 10 years here.
StumpsandBails verdict:
It is an explosive battle between the batting lineups of both the sides. RR hold a slight advantage owing to the presence of allrounders in their side.
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