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IPL 2023: Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings hope to keep winning momentum

Punjab beat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven runs at Mohali on Saturday, while the Royals outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad by a big margin of 72 runs

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Trent Boult of Rajasthan Royals. — IPL

by Leslie Wilson Jr

Published: Tue 4 Apr 2023, 10:40 PM

While Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings are essentially a study of contrasts, there is one common thing that binds them heading into Wednesday‘s eighth IPL match — both teams are coming off recent wins.

Punjab beat Kolkata Knight Riders by seven runs at Mohali on Saturday, while the Royals outplayed Sunrisers Hyderabad by a big margin of 72 runs.

That’s where the similarities end.

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The Royals won the inaugural IPL title in 2008 and were runners-up last year to Gujarat Titans, while the Kings reached the final just once in 2014 where they lost to Kolkata Knight Riders.

The head-to-head stats also favour the pink jersey team who have won 14 of the 24 matches against the Red team.

Here are five key points to consider ahead of Wednesday’s match.

Managing resources

The two franchises was in IPL 2022 when Rajasthan comfortably defeated Punjab by six wickets after chasing down a total of 189.

All eyes will be on the architects of that win, Yashasvi Jaiswal (68) and Shimron Hetmyer (31 not out), while Punjab will need to manager its resources better if it hopes to turn conqueror on Wednesday.

Captain material

As an occasional captain of the national cricket team, left-handed opening bat Shikhar Dhawan enjoyed plenty of success in the white-ball format and looks well-suited to lead Punjab in their quest to win a maiden IPL title.

The man with the most famous moustache since Australians Merv Hughes, Dennis Lillee, and Allan Border, has played pivotal roles for Delhi, Mumbai, and Hyderabad in previous IPLs and now brings his rich experience to Punjab, who splashed out Rs 9.35 crore (Dh 4.18m) for his services this season.

Dhawan (6284) is only surpassed by Virat Kohli (6706) as the top run-scorer in IPL history and looks like a valuable asset to the Kings.

Youth and experience

Under the captaincy of Sanju Samson, Rajasthan boasts of a well-rounded mix of youth and experience as it hopes to maintain its dominance over Punjab.

It can brag about Jos Buttler, the highest scorer in IPL 2022 with over 860 runs in seven innings. A lot will depend on the England limited-overs captain’s aggressive battling attitude to help get the team off to a flyer and make optimum use of the Power Play with the help of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Samson.

Middle order chinks

If the Royals appears to have any notable weakness, it is in the middle-order comprising Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, and Riyan Parag, who have lacked the much-needed consistency and have struggled under pressure.

This deficiency is of significant concern and Royals will be hoping that the Guwahati all-rounder Parag can display more confidence and ability in crunch situations.

Strength in bowling

Without a doubt, the Royals has one of the best bowling departments in the IPL with the formidable new-ball combination of Trent Boult and Jason Holder.

Regarded as one of the best pace bowlers to come out of New Zealand, Boult will aim to make some early breakthroughs to set the stage for seasoned Indian campaigners Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin to complete the damage.

Easier said than done, but the potent mix of pace and spin has worked in the past.

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Leslie Wilson Jr

Published: Tue 4 Apr 2023, 10:40 PM

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