The 32nd game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 sees Punjab Kings locking horns against Rajasthan Royals. The Dubai International Cricket Stadium in Dubai will host this exciting encounter.
Punjab Kings sit at the sixth position with six points to their name, having played eight games. The top-order batsmen in KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Chris Gayle have done most of the run-scoring for them in the first phase. KL Rahul is the second-highest run-scorer in this edition of the IPL with 331 runs in seven games. Mayank Agarwal too has looked good at the top of the order.
Nicholas Pooran had a horrible run in the first half of the season. He managed to score only 28 runs in six innings, registering four ducks. But he looks in good nick recently and will be hoping to continue his good form in the upcoming IPL. The bowlers need to be at their best to stand any chance of qualifying for the playoffs.
Rajasthan Royals are placed at the fifth position in the points table. They have won three of the total games played and have six points under their belt. Sanju Samson after being appointed the skipper of this side has had a brilliant start. He has scored 277 runs in seven games at an impressive average of 46. The team will rely on him to deliver in the UAE leg.
The only concern for them will be the unavailability of overseas stars. The likes of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler will not take part in this edition and it will be a big void to fill for them. Also, the spinners have been ineffective and with slow pitches in UAE, the Royals will be expecting them to step up and have a bigger impact. They will be looking to kick off the second phase with a win against Punjab Kings.
Match Details:
Match: Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals, Match 32, Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021.
Date and Time: September 21st, 2021 Tuesday, 07:30 PM IST
Venue: Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai
Pitch Report:
The pitch at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium is on the slower side. It will assist spinners from both sides. Chasing totals becomes difficult on this surface as it tends to get slower as the game progresses.
Squads
Punjab Kings
KL Rahul, Arshdeep Singh, Deepak Hooda, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Darshan Nalkande, Harpreet Brar, Fabian Allen, Ishan Porel, Mandeep Singh, Jalaj Saxena, Nathan Ellis, Aiden Markram, Mayank Agarwal, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Moises Henriques, Ravi Bishnoi, Prabhsimran Singh, Shahrukh Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, Adil Rashid, Chris Jordan, Utkarsh Singh, Saurabh Kumar
Rajasthan Royals
Sanju Samson, Anuj Rawat, Chris Morris, Tabraiz Shamsi, Akash Singh, Chetan Sakariya, David Miller, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat, KC Cariappa, Kartik Tyagi, Oshane Thomas, Glenn Phillips, Kuldeep Yadav, Manan Vohra, Mahipal Lomror, Rahul Tewatia, Mayank Markande, Shivam Dube, Riyan Parag, Evin Lewis, Liam Livingstone, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shreyas Gopal
Predicted Playing XIs
Punjab Kings
KL Rahul has led from the front in the first phase of IPL 2021. He will be hoping to continue his good form in the UAE leg. Everyone needs to fire in unison to kick off the second phase with a win.
Playing XI: KL Rahul (c), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Deepak Hooda, Chris Jordan, Murugan Ashwin, Mohammed Shami, Harpreet Brar, Ravi Bishnoi
Rajasthan Royals
Sitting at the fifth position, the Royals need to start the UAE leg on a positive note and stay in the contention of qualifying for the playoffs. With overseas stars missing, the young players need to step up in the second phase of the IPL.
Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson (c), Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Kartik Tyagi/Shreyas Gopal, Chetan Sakariya
Match prediction:
Punjab Kings face Rajasthan Royals in the 32nd game of the 14th edition of the IPL. Both sides have a good mix of experienced and youth players and it promises to be a cracking contest.
Rajasthan Royals looks a well-balanced side and expect them to come out on top against Punjab Kings on Tuesday.
