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.
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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.
Rajasthan Royals (RR)
It can be expected that RR’s spin will come early in the action against PBKS as Mayank Agarwal has been dismissed by Yuzvendra Chahal 5 times. Mayank averages just 16 against Chahal and 18.33 against R Ashwin. Chahal has scalped 25 wickets in 16 matches, averaging 17.08 and conceding at a rate of 7.88. Sanju Samson struggled last game with a bad back against KKR, but he should be available against PBKS.
Probable XI: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen
Punjab Kings (PBKS)
Sandeep Sharma can be a liability for Punjab in this game as Jos Buttler has scored 82 runs in 35 balls against the pacer. Buttler also strikes at over 180 against Kagiso Rabada, with PBKS needing to find a way to dismiss him early to avoid springing into damage control mode. Arshdeep SIngh is their best bet, with him picking 10 wickets in 4 matches against RR, striking at 9 and averaging 14.40. Rabada too has picked 9 wickets in 5 matches.
Probable XI: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma
Fantasy XI suggestion 1:
Shikhar Dhawan, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone (vc), Jithesh Sharma, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rishi Dhawan, Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada.
Fantasy XI suggestion 2:
Jos Buttler (vc), Sanju Samson, Jonny Bairstow, Mayank Agarwal (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Rahul Chahar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Kuldeep Sen.
