Punjab Kings’ skipper Shreyas Iyer opted to bat first after winning the toss, evidently confident in his team’s dynamic batting capabilities. The lineup saw a couple of changes with Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis absent. This gave Mitchell Owen, fresh off a stellar Big Bash League final century, and fast bowler Xavier Bartlett the chance to shine.
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson returned from an abdominal injury just in time for the match and seemed pleased with the toss outcome, as he intended to bowl first. Reflecting on the pitch’s previous performance against Royal Challengers Bengaluru, he felt this decision would capitalise on its initially slow nature.
In a bold move, Rajasthan Royals decided to keep young Vaibhav Suryavanshi at the top order after his remarkable century, resulting in Samson moving down the order. Nitish Rana stepped aside to accommodate this strategy. South African player Kwena Maphaka replaced Jofra Archer, who did not rejoin the squad for the IPL’s restart.
Rajasthan Royals (Bowling First):
1. Yashasvi Jaiswal
2. Vaibhav Suryavanshi
3. Sanju Samson (Captain, WK)
4. Riyan Parag
5. Shimron Hetmyer
6. Dhruv Jurel
7. Wanindu Hasaranga
8. Kwena Maphaka
9. Tushar Deshpande
10. Akash Madhwal
11. Fazalhaq Farooqi
Impact Substitutes: Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, Kumar Kartikeya, Ashok Sharma, Kunal Rathore
Punjab Kings (Batting First):
1. Prabhsimran Singh (WK)
2. Priyansh Arya
3. Shreyas Iyer (Captain)
4. Mitchell Owen
5. Nehal Wadhera
6. Shashank Singh
7. Azmatullah Omarzai
8. Marco Jansen
9. Xavier Bartlett
10. Arshdeep Singh
11. Yuzvendra Chahal
Impact Substitutes: Harpreet Brar, Pravin Dubey, Suryansh Shedge, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Musheer Khan
With a balanced analysis of team strategies and forthcoming performances, this match promises to be an engaging fixture for both seasoned followers and newer fans of the IPL.
