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Third-placed Rajasthan Royals (RR) take on Punjab Kings (PBKS) as Mayank Agarwal-led side won the toss and elected to bat first in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash on Saturday (May 7).
"We are losing quite a few tossed, we'd have batted first as well. We are a balanced side. It's a different challenge, we are ready to go out there and have some fun. Being a day game, spinners might get some help. One change - Karun Nair misses out, Yashasvi Jaiswal comes in," RR skipper Sanju Samson said before the match.
"We'd like to bat first. Looks like a good wicket, might get slower as the game progresses. It is important to understand the conditions. It might turn in the second innings. Fantastic from Liam to go out there and do what he did, I am glad. We are playing the same side," PBKS captain Mayank Agarwal said after winning the toss.
The Sanju Samson-led side was at one point giving Gujarat Titans a strong fight for the top position but the former champions have recently faced minor hiccups. They enter the upcoming fixture with back-to-back losses including to eighth-place Kolkata Knight Riders and laggards Mumbai Indians.
Punjab Kings, on the other hand, will be high on confidence after inflicting a morale-boosting eight-wicket defeat on table toppers GT. The Mayank Agarwal-led side will be eager to keep the winning momentum going as they try to get out of the mid table logjam an inch closer to sealing a playoff spot.
Head-to-Head
In the 23 matches played between these 2 teams, Punjab Kings (formerly Kings XI Punjab) have won 10 matches and Rajasthan Royals have won 13 matches. Sanju Samson is the leading scorer with 529 runs in head-to-head matches between the two sides.
Pitch report
"There is a fair amount of grass and so the ball should slide on. It could be a bit two-paced as well as the other side is a bit dry and the spinners might be able to get something. All in all, we're hoping for a high-scoring contest," former West Indian pacer Ian Bishop analyses the Wankhede stadium pitch.
Punjab Kings' playing XI:
Jonny Bairstow, Shikhar Dhawan, Mayank Agarwal(c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma.
Rajasthan Royals' Playing XI:
Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson(w/c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen.
