Rajasthan Royals will take on Rajasthan Royals in the 8th match of IPL 2023 to be played at Guwahati. It promises to be an exciting encounter as both teams have won their opening encounters.
Rajasthan Royals continued from where they left last year with 72 runs win over Sunrisers Hyderabad while Punjab Kings won rain-affected match against Kolkata Knight Riders by 7 runs via the DLS method. Both teams would be looking to entertain the crowd as Guwahati will be hosting its first IPL match.
Thanks to Jos Buttler, Jaiswal, and Samson’s half-centuries, Rajasthan Royals posted 203 for 5 in 20 overs. Yuzvendra Chahal was the pick of bowlers for RR with 4 for 17 to dent the SRH innings along with Trent Boult.
Match Details
Details– IPL Match 8, Rajasthan Royals versus Punjab Kings
Venue– Basapara Stadium, Guwahati
Date and Time– 8 April, 7.30 PM
Head-to-Head Record
Since its inception of IPL in 2008, Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings played a total of 24 matches with Rajasthan Royals winning 14 of them while Punjab Kings 10 including 1 match resulting in a Super Over. The last time they met during the 2022 edition of IPL, Rajasthan Royals chased a huge target of 190 set by Punjab Kings.
Yaishvi Jaiswal’s 68 along with quickfire cameos by Jos Buttler, and Sanju Samson, and an unbeaten knock by Shimron Hetymer helped Rajasthan Royals win the match by six wickets with 2 balls to spare.
Rajasthan Royals won times while batting first against Punjab Kings while occasions while chasing down targets. On other hand, Punjab Kings won matches 7 times while batting first and chasing down targets only 3 occasions.
Top-Run Scorer
Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson is the leading run-getter between RR and Punjab Kings. He has scored 552 runs so far from 15 matches at an average of 46 and a strike rate of 152.90. His career-best score against Punjab Kings was 119 off 61 deliveries in the 2021 edition laying a strong foundation for a win.
Top-Wicket Taker
Right-arm leg spinner Piyush Chawla is the leading wicket-taker between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals. He has grabbed 14 wickets from 11 matches at an economy of 7.59 runs per over with best figures of 3 for 35.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Basapara Stadium, Guwahati is likely to be batting-friendly. Both teams have top-quality hitters that can enjoy hitting along the lines and entertain the crowd.
With the dew playing a role later, the team winning the toss would likely bowl first and chase down the target. India scored 373 for 7 against Sri Lanka in the first ODI match this year while India posted a massive total against South Africa at the same venue last year.
Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) – Predicted XI
Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler, Yaishvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C, WK), Devdutt Paddikal, Shimron Hetymer, Riyan Parag, Jason Holder, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal.
Punjab Kings
Shikhar Dhawan (C), Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Sikandar Raza, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh.
Fantasy Team Selection- Rajasthan Royals versus Punjab Kings
Team 1– Jos Buttler(C), Sanju Samson (VC) Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jaiswal, Sikandar Raza, Jason Holder, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Sam Curran, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
Team 2– Shikhar Dhawan ©, Prabhsimran Singh, Shimron Hetymer, Jitesh Sharma, Sam Curran, Riyan Parag, Rahul Chahar, Kagiso Rabada, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal (VC), KM Asif
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