3. D’Arcy Short’s woeful start

The Australian opener D’Arcy Short came into prominence in this year. He had done well in last year’s Big Bash and had impressed everyone. This year, he reached next level with three 90+ scores in the competition. He scored the highest individual score of the tournament with 126*. Short got into the Australian team as well.

The brilliant T20 performance at the right time gave Short a chance about the selection in the IPL. He was picked by Rajasthan Royal with big hope. The start for him has been disappointing. He has been run out twice for 4 and 6. Another failure may put Tripathi at the top.

4. Fire against Ice

The captains of both the teams present the contrast between the two extreme styles of captaincy. Virat Kohli, wearing his heart on his sleeve, always expresses his emotions. He is active in the field and leads the troop whole-heartedly. Ajinkya Rahane meanwhile is much calmer and believes in speaking through the actions.

The two captains will clash against each other on Sunday afternoon. The two middle-order Indian batsman know each other well and it will be interesting to see who prevails in his winning streak.

5. Ben Stokes at number three

Out of the 12 English players to play in the IPL, Rajasthan Royals have two of the most talented. The all-rounder Ben Stokes and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler. The English duo has been the main reason behind England’s spectacular rise in the white-ball cricket.

Royals tried to optimize Ben Stokes’ presence in the batting line-up by pushing at number three where he has not batted much in his career. He is yet to make an impact. He scored 16 off 12 balls with one four and a six against DD. Stokes is capable of big things.