Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals will end their IPL 26 group stage campaign on May 19, as the two teams would lock horns at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamshala. Both teams are levelled at 12 points in 13 games and the winner would have the chance to qualify for the playoffs based on how other teams perform.
Both teams are coming after a defeat in their last game, as Punjab suffered a 15 runs defeat against Delhi Capitals, while Rajasthan Royals faced humiliation against RCB as they lost by a whopping 112 runs.
The advantage for Rajasthan over Punjab is that they have a positive net-run rate, so for the Shikhar Dhawan-led side to qualify further, they need to register a big win to turn their net- run-rate into positive.
Ahead of the coming clash, Trent Boult would return to the playing XI and Adam Zampa is most likely to be dropped. Further, Joe Root along with other batters failed to score big and is likely to be left out as well.
The big concern for Rajasthan is Jos Buttler’s form, as the opener has not scored big for a few games. Further, RR need to address is to cope with a few failures at the top, which is when the lower-middle order should strike partnerships and take their team out of dangerous situations.
For Punjab, Liam Livingstone was solid against Delhi, but Shikhar Dhawan needs to provide runs at the start. Further, Shikhar Dhawan needs to introspect his leadership, as the left-hand opener faced heavy criticism for not utilising his bowlers well.
In the bowling, Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran need to chip in with more wickets, while spinners Rahul Chahar also should contribute more in the middle overs.
This article will shed light on Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals preview, pitch report, and playing XI.
Head-To-Head
The two times have squared off on 25 occasions. Rajasthan have won 14 games, while Punjab emerged victorious 11 times. The last time these two teams met this season, PBKS registered a 5-run win over RR.
Pitch Report
The surface at the HPCA Stadium is a belter for the batters as seen in the Punjab-Dehli game. However, the batters need to be careful at the start and wait for the early swing to fade away.
Weather Report
The temperature will range around 24-27 degrees Celsius, and there are 20% chance of rain.
When, Where and How to Watch?
Venue: HPCA Stadium, Dharamshala
Time and Date: May 19, 7:30 pm
The match between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals will be played from 7:30 PM onwards, while the toss will be at 7:00 PM. You can watch the live telecast of this match on TV at Star Sports Network in different languages. OTT viewers can stream the game for free on the Jio Cinema app and website.
Probable XI:
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan(C), Shahrukh Khan, SM Curran, A Taide, LS Livingstone, JM Sharma(wk), RD Chahar, Harpreet Brar, Nathan Ellis, Arshdeep Singh, K Rabada
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, JE Root, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jos Buttler, SV Samson(C), DC Jurel, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal, Sandeep Sharma
Squads:
PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Gurnoor Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Baltej Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, and Mohit Rathee.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa, Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Kunal Rathore, Adam Zampa, KM Asif, Murugan Ashwin, Akash Vashisht, Abdul PA, Joe Root.
Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals Dream 11 Team -VIDEO
