IPL 2024: Can RR secure playoff ticket against eliminated PBKS?
Match 65 of the 2024 Indian Premier League (IPL) will witness the battle between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings. While PBKS have been eliminated from the playoff race, RR can officially go through with a win in this fixture. They are currently second in the table with eight wins in 12 games. PBKS have just four victories in 12 outings. Here is the preview.
Pitch report, conditions, and streaming details
Guwahati's Barsapara Cricket Stadium will host this duel on May 15 (7:30pm IST). This will be the first game at this venue in IPL 2024 and a fresh track is expected. As per ESPNcricinfo, teams batting first have won nine of the 16 T20 games played here. Star Sports will telecast the match, and fans can also live-stream it on JioCinema for free.
Here's the head-to-head record
RR and PBKS have played each other a total of 27 times in the IPL. The Royals have a superior record with 16 wins in comparison to PBKS' 11 victories. The Royals beat PBKS by three wickets in a low-scoring fixture earlier this season. It was a tight game as Shimron Hetmyer's timely 10-ball 27* helped RR accomplish the 148-run target.
RR to miss Jos Buttler's services
The Royals have had a near-perfect campaign so far with contributions coming across all three departments. Trent Boult, Riyan Parag, and skipper Sanju Samson have been brilliant. However, RR will miss Jos Buttler's services for the remainder of the tournament. Though PBKS have not won consistently, their batting line-up has hurt many bowlers. Hence, the Men in Pink should not be complacent.
A look at the probable XIs
PBKS (Probable XI): Jonny Bairstow (wk), Prabhsimran Singh, Rilee Rossouw, Liam Livingstone, Shashank Singh, Sam Curran (c), Ashutosh Sharma, Harshal Patel, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Vidhwath Kaverappa. Impact sub: Ashutosh Sharma. RR (probable XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey, Rovman Powell, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal. Impact sub: Nandre Burger.
Here are the key performers
Both Riyan Parag and Samson have hammered 480-plus runs this season with their strike rate being over 160. Yuzvendra Chahal is leading the wicket-taking chart for RR with 15 scalps (ER: 9.52). Shashank Singh has hammered 352 runs in the season at a sensational strike rate of 168.42. With 20 scalps, Harshal Patel is the joint leading wicket-taker this year (ER: 9.75).
