Indian T20 League 2024

Match 27: PUN vs RAJ

Preview 

A disheartened Rajasthan (RAJ) will focus on better implementation of plans and strategies for a quick turnaround when they take the field against a highly inconsistent yet capable Punjab (PUN) in their Ind T20 League match in Mullanpur on April 13.

Sanju Samson and co had a remarkable chance to register their fifth win on the bounce and strengthen their totem pole position, but Rashid Khan courageous display helped Gujarat (GUJ) snatch a last ball victory on Wednesday. 

The loss against GUJ in Jaipur might have come as a shell shock to RAJ, and they would want to treat it as an anomaly and come up with a more polished performance against an erratic PUN side. 

The men in pink lost to GUJ because of a disappointing effort from Kuldip Sen (19th over) and Avesh Khan (20th over) at a crucial passage, when they leaked 35 runs across the two overs. 

There is no denying that Boult could have made a few changes to the script, but a skipper leaving that alternative unused was a little baffling. 

Of Course, the Kiwi pacer has been mostly used with the new ball this season, but in crunch situations nothing comes close to experience. 

So, RAJ will be eyeing to return to winning ways against PUN. 

Shikhar Dhawan led Punjab has blown hot and cold this season so far, winning two and losing three out of their five matches. 

The major reason for their average performance this year is the patchy form of their main batters as PUN relied on cameos by uncapped players Shashank Singh and Ashustosh Sharma to bolster their batting. 

Opening batter Johnny Bairstow (5 matches, 81 runs) and middle order batter Jitesh Sharma (5 matches, 77 runs) are the most disappointing of the lot, and it has deprived them of impetus upfront and during the slog overs of their innings. 

Sam Curran has been better than average with ball in hand, picking up six wickets from five matches but the English all rounder has been abysmal in his batting display, mustering only 63 runs this far. 

Punjab bowlers on the contrary have been comparatively better, but their tendency to concede heaps of runs while bowling first will be a concern. 

A bowling attack comprising Kagiso Rabada and Arshdeep Singh has leaked 199, 199 and 182 runs in their last three matches. These two need to be right on the money if PUN are fancying their chances against the mighty RAJ. 

Besides the match calculations, RAJ will have another bigger challenge to tackle. Over the last few seasons of the competition, RAJ had begun vehemently, just as they did this year, before floundering after mid-season. 

This is the reason why they have managed to advance through the playoffs twice across the previous six seasons. The men in pink would dearly hope that the loss against GUJ was not the beginning of another breakdown. 

Match Details

Match: PUN vs RAJ, 27th Match, Indian T20 League 2024

Date: Saturday, April 13, 2024

Time: 7:30 PM

Venue: Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium, Mullanpur, Chandigarh

Pitch and Weather Report

The pitch at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium is known for its black soil that offers early movement and bounce to pacers. However, batters who get their eyes set and play balls on their merit have also found success on this wicket. 

Despite cloudy patches no rain is predicted for the match. 

PUN vs RAJ Squads

PUN: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Shashank Singh, Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Kagiso Rabada, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Tanay Thyagarajan, Rahul Chahar, Rishi Dhawan, Vidhwath Kaverappa, Rilee Rossouw, Harpreet Singh Bhatia, Chris Woakes, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Shivam Singh, Prince Choudhary, Vishwanath Singh

RAJ: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Kuldeep Sen, Yuzvendra Chahal, Keshav Maharaj, Rovman Powell, Tanush Kotian, Shubham Dubey, Navdeep Saini, Nandre Burger, Abid Mushtaq, Sandeep Sharma, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Donovan Ferreira, Kunal Singh Rathore

PUN vs RAJ Probable Playing XIs

PUN: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Jonny Bairstow, Prabhsimran Singh, Jitesh Sharma, Sikandar Raza, Shashank Singh, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Kagiso Rabada, Harshal Patel, Arshdeep Singh.

RAJ: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, R Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, Nandre Burger, Kuldeep Sen

Match Prediction

We predict RAJ to beat PUN in match 27 and consolidate their position at the top of the table. 

Suggested Playing XI Real11 Fantasy Cricket 



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