The PBKS vs RR IPL 2024 match will be played at the Mullanpur Stadium in Chandigarh on Saturday, April 13. This is the second game at this venue for the Kings.
Mullanpur Stadium is one of the two venues of the Punjab Kings. The match starts at 7.30 pm IST and is the only match on Saturday.
Team analysis
Kings of Punjab
The Kings lost their previous match against SRH because they could not chase 182. They lost the match by just 2 runs. Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma scored 26 of the required 29 runs in the Jaydev Unadkat final.
They have played with good intentions in the first games of the tournament. They should have won this game if they had played with a little more intent in the intermissions.
Rajasthan Royals
The Royals lost their first game of the season to the Gujarat Titans. With their loss, every team has lost at least one game in IPL 2024. Despite the loss, they have ticked almost every box of the tournament so far.
Before this game they were almost unbeatable at home. The franchise has seen a different player defend the team in different games, which has been the key to their success so far this season. They won their previous away match against Mumbai Indians.
PBKS vs RR Key Factors
Field conditions
The Mullanpur stadium field has seen two matches with relatively many goals. Punjab Kings chased down 175 in the first game against DC, while they failed to chase down 182 against SRH.
The wicket has been good for batting and there has been enough help for the bowlers as well. Harpreet Brar and Arshdeep Singh have been the two best players for the Kings at home.
Form and fitness
Talking about form, Shikhar Dhawan and Jonny Bairstow are struggling with the Kings’ form. For the Royals, Yashasvi Jaiswal has been struggling for form.
Jos Buttler, after scoring a century against RCB, was dismissed cheaply against GT. The players on both sides are relatively in better shape.
In terms of fitness, the Kings will be without Liam Livingstone, who suffered a hamstring injury in the game against LSG and has not played since.
He is still recovering, as Shikhar Dhawan said in the last match against SRH. The Royals are also missing Praidh Krishna, who is ruled out following surgery and is currently recovering. Sandeep Sharma is also out with a hamstring problem.
Tactical insight
Shikhar Dhawan, as captain, will have to prevent RR openers Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler from getting off to a good start. There is also a need to think a bit about tactics around the selection of Jonny Bairstow, who has struggled so far.
Sanju Samson, as captain, also has to be tactically astute against the likes of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma, especially in the final overs.
PBKS vs RR Score Prediction
Recent venue records (Mullanpur Stadium, Chandigarh)
IPL matches played 2
Matches won batting first 1
Matches Won Batting Second 1
Matches won Winning draw 1
Matches Won Losing Pitching 1
Matches without result 0
Average score for 1st Inns 182
Average score for 2nd Inns 180
Who will score the most runs for PBKS: Shikhar Dhawan / Shashank Singh
Who will take most wickets for PBKS: Kagiso Rabada / Harpreet Brar
Who will score the most runs for RR: Sanju Samson/ Riyan Parag
Who will take most wickets for RR: Yuzvendra Chahal / Kuldeep Sen
PBKS vs RR Match Prediction: Who will win today’s IPL match? IPL 2024, match 27
RR have a better head-to-head record against Punjab Kings and are ahead in this game due to their sheer consistency so far in their campaign. The Kings can surprise them even at home.
Conclusion
RR leads the head-to-head tally against PBKS 15-11. The two teams have played very close games over the last few years. Both teams won one game each last year and this game has all the makings of a close contest.
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