Live Score
Cricket Teams
Cricket PlayersMorris vs Richardson: Battle of 'Million Dollar Babies' as Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings eye winning start to IPL 2021
While Rahul will lead the newly rechristened PBKS into for a second season, for RR captain Sanju Samson, it's his maiden captaincy stint with a franchise he's spent so many years at.
Chris Morris, Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith – three of the top six most expensive buys at the IPL 2021 auction not too long ago are likely to be in action, as their respective franchises, Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals begin a fresh campaign in a fresh season. At the 'mini-auction' in February, South Africa all-rounder Morris created history when the Royals broke the bank on him, spending ₹16.25 crore and making him the costliest IPL purchase of all time.
RR vs PBKS - LIVE SCORE AND UPDATES!
On the other hand, Richardson was picked for a rollicking ₹14 crore by PBKS, after he finished as the leading wicket-taker in the Big Bash League. And if that wasn't enough, they spent another ₹8 crore on Riley Meredith, whom captain KL Rahul has spoken highly of and wants to see what he brings to the table with his excess pace. In all likelihood, it's imperative that all three of them feature in Match 4 of the season at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
As the first match proved on Sunday, there's expected to be no shortage of runs, all the more reasons why RR and PBKS should go out all guns blazing as far as their bowling attack is considered. Last year in IPL 2020, there wasn't a lot of difference between how the two franchises played. PBKS lost five in a row, and by the time they recovered albeit a little, the playoff spot was already out of reach and finished sixth. Between them and RR, only CSK stood in between and RR finished with the wooden spoon. Needless to say, both franchises would be pretty eager… nay… desperate for a winning start.
While Rahul will lead the newly rechristened PBKS into for a second season, for RR captain Sanju Samson, it's his maiden captaincy stint with a franchise he's spent so many years at. We all know what Samson is capable of… and he proved this last season as he started with a bang before going whimpering down. Will captaincy bring that stability and consistency in his batting that he is guilty of not having is something that will be proven with time.
For Rahul, IPL is where he gets into his comfort zone. He may have recently registered three ducks in four innings playing for India, but when it comes to the IPL, rest assured, the batsman brings out his best. With 659, 593 and 670 runs in the last three seasons respectively, Rahul has been an unstoppable force in the IPL, and he even walked away with the Orange Cap last year. Where PBKS lost out was the contribution from the rest of the batsmen, and that's one department that needs to come strong.
What: IPL, Match 3, Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings
When: Monday, April 12, 2021
Venue: Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
READ | RR Predicted XI vs PBKS: Who will be Rajasthan's frontline fast bowler in Jofra Archer's absence?
Team News
Rajasthan Royals: RR's batting line up picks itself, with Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson as openers and Ben Stokes, followed by Rahul Tewatia, Shivam Dube and Rian Parag in the lower middle order. Morris and Mustafizur Rahman should be their options with the ball, shared by leg-spinner Shreyas Gopal and pacers Jaydev Unadkat and Kartik Tyagi.
Probable XI: 1 Jos Buttler, 2 Sanju Samson (Capt/Wk), 3 Ben Stokes, 4 Shivam Dube, 5 Rahul Tewatia, 6 Rian Parag, 7 Chris Morris, 8 Shreyas Gopal, 9 Mustafizur Rahman, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Kartik Tyagi
Punjab Kings: For PBKS, it is crucial to stick to the opening pair of Rahul and Mayank Agarwal at the top, Chris Gayle at 3 and the world's No. 1 T20 batsman in Dawid Malan at 4. To bolster lower middle order, Sarfaraz Khan and Shahrukh Khan seem the most viable options, while expecting Meredith and Richardson to be the two overseas pacers along with either fast bowler Mohammed Shami or spinner Murugan Ashwin.
Probable XI: 1 KL Rahul (Capt/Wk), 2 Mayank Agarwal, 3 Chris Gayle, 4 Dawid Malan, 5 Sarfaraz Khan, 6 Shahrukh Khan, 7 Jhye Richardson, 8 Murugan Ashwin, 9 Ravi Bishnoi, 10 Riley Meredith, 11 Mohammed Shami.
Stats and Trivia
- Sanju Samson is 93 runs away from completing 2,000 runs for Rajasthan Royals in IPL
- Ben Stokes is 80 runs away from completing 1,000 runs in IPL.
- KL Rahul needs 78 runs to complete 2000 IPL runs for Punjab Kings, he will be the 2nd batsman after Shaun Marsh to reach this landmark.
- Mayank needs to complete 1000 runs for Punjab Kings in IPL.
