Could this be the year for it?
Punjab Kings
They boast a stable roster, an abundance of promising young Indian players, reliable international talents at their disposal, and a leader experienced in steering teams towards success in the IPL. The Punjab side has often been labeled as perennial underdogs, frequently experiencing notable highlights yet failing to transform these into sustained competitiveness. This season brings a fresh vibe; they convincingly secured victories in their initial two games, signaling their determination to seriously contend for triumphs.
The team\’s upcoming adversaries, aiming to maintain their current winning streak, will be the
Rajasthan Royals
, who didn’t begin the season strong but managed to recover and secure their initial victory. For Rajasthan, the major development is that their captain
Sanju Samson
has returned to the pitch, and they are hoping that his reinstatement as captain might also ignite their batting lineup.
More updates are expected from RR, as their Indian batting lineup featuring Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag has been relatively subdued until now. Nitish Rana made his presence felt during the match at Jaipur wearing pink versus CSK, which should boost the team’s morale. Importantly though, their bowling performance stood out when facing off against CSK, following several tough outings where Jofra Archer and co. were dismantled earlier in the season.
Should Archer maintain his current performance level and showcase his finest skills, this Rajasthan Royals squad could become quite formidable. Coupled with the composed bowling of Sandeep Sharma and the deceptive deliveries from Wanindu Hasaranga, the team starts appearing much stronger. In case the Royals decide to make an alteration, they might consider giving opportunities to players such as Akash Madhwal, to determine whether he can enhance their chances of success.
Meanwhile, Punjab seems unlikely to make changes. With Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya providing an excellent foundation, Shreyas Iyer has appeared as the most effective batsman in this competition up until now, and their lineup hasn’t faced what Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis can offer yet. Nehal Wadhera’s elegant batting further strengthens them, and lower down the order, Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shedge bring significant power-hitting potential. This makes for a thrilling, inventive, and dynamic squad.
Add the seam bowling quality of Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, and Lockie Ferguson, and you have a unit that could really put the IPL on alert in coming weeks. One change they might consider is an extra spinner in Harpreet Brar coming in on their spin-friendly turf. Can they live up to the hype in their first game at home in Mullanpur and go three-for-three to start off?
Check PBKS and RR Likely XIs
PBKS likely XI:
Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
RR likely XI:
Sanju Samson (captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Sandeep Sharma
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