IPL 2025, PBKS vs RR: Decoding key player battles
What's the story
The 18th match of IPL 2025 will witness Punjab Kings (PBKS) facing off against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur, Chandigarh.
The match will be played on Saturday, April 5.
PBKS are in red-hot form, winning their first two matches by huge margins.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals could only manage one victory from three matches.
Here are the key player battles that can be on display.
#1
Shreyas Iyer vs Sandeep Sharma
PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer has been sensational this season, having scored two back-to-back fifties.
However, RR's ace pacer Sandeep Sharma has troubled Iyer in the past.
As per ESPNcricinfo, he has trapped Iyer thrice across nine IPL meetings while conceding just 47 runs off 56 deliveries.
Only KKR's Andre Russell has dismissed the PBKS star more often in IPL (5 times).
#2
Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Arshdeep Singh
The swashbuckling Yashasvi Jaiswal has looked woefully out of touch, recording two single-digit scores across three innings.
The southpaw would tackle Arshdeep Singh in the powerplay overs.
Across five IPL meetings, Arshdeep has dismissed Jaiswal twice, conceding just 26 runs off 20 balls.
The left-arm pacer has a powerplay economy of 5.75 this season.
#3
Sandeep Sharma vs Yuzvendra Chahal
Another exciting matchup will be RR captain Sanju Samson and PBKS' Yuzvendra Chahal.
After three games as a pure batter, Samson will return to his captaincy duties in this match.
Notably, the leggie has dismissed Samson the joint most times in IPL, five across 10 innings.
The RR talisman has scored just a run-a-ball 42 in this battle.
Notably, Chahal and Samson shared the RR dressing room in the preceding three IPL seasons.