Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be locking horns with Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 52nd match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 tomorrow afternoon at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Both sides are alive in the race to the playoffs, and a win will help them inch a step closer to the next round. The Royals suffered a loss at the hands of the Kolkata Knight Riders in their last match.
Sanju Samson and his men will be keen to forget that result and bring their ‘A’ game against PBKS as a win here will also help them to reach in top two positions in the playoffs. Meanwhile, PBKS are coming off a win against table-toppers Gujarat Titans. Mayank Agarwal’s team will be high on confidence ahead of the afternoon fixture against RR.
ALSO READ: Match 52 (PBKS vs RR) – Probable XI And Fantasy XI
Before Wankhede Stadium plays host to the match between PBKS and RR, here are some vital stats you need to know from previous games hosted by this venue. In the 23 meetings between the two sides in IPL so far, RR is leading the charts 13-10 against PBKS in the head-to-head battles. In the last 5 meetings, however, it’s 3-2 in favor of RR.
While the game between the Rajasthan Royals and the Punjab Kings promises to be an exciting one, The following 3 player battles will prove to be decisive in this contest.
#1 Jos Buttler vs Kagiso Rabada
Jos Buttler has been the most consistent batter in the IPL 2022 thus far. Some fans feel that the RR star could break Virat Kohli’s all-time record of 973 runs in an IPL season. However, he may find it challenging to score runs off Kagiso Rabada’s bowling. The South African speedster has been making life difficult for the opposition batters in recent matches. He has scalped 17 wickets from nine matches. He will be keen to dismiss Buttler cheaply and give PBKS the upper hand in the contest.
#2 Shikhar Dhawan vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Shikhar Dhawan is the leading run-getter for the Punjab Kings this season as he has amassed 369 runs in 10 innings at an average of 46.13. Yuzvendra Chahal, meanwhile, owns the Purple Cap right now as he has scalped 19 wickets in 10 matches, including one hat-trick. Sanju Samson may introduce Chahal into the attack early to send back Dhawan cheaply in today’s fixture. Chahal is in top form and could trouble the PBKS batter.
#3 Rahul Chahar vs Sanju Samson
Rahul Chahar has been doing well for PBKS so far as he has scalped 12 wickets in 10 matches, with his best bowling figures being 3/25 while his economy rate has been 7.57. Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has managed to score 298 runs in 10 matches this season, but he has been troubled by the leg-spinners. It will be interesting to see how he plays against Chahar today in the match against the Punjab Kings.
