Two bottom-placed teams will resume their campaign in the Indian Premier League 2021 with an encounter against each other on Tuesday in Dubai.
The Kings are the more vulnerable of the two sides, with only three wins and five losses from their first eight matches of the competition. KL Rahul-led side are sixth and need to win a minimum of five of their remaining six matches during the league stage.
They Royals’ case is not that different, just that they have played seven matches and not eight. They are currently fifth in the standings, having won three but lost four games during the Indian leg. Just like PBKS, RR can’t afford slip-ups at the start of their campaign, or they risk conceding too much ground before going deeper into the second half of the tournament.
Key Players
The PBKS skipper KL Rahul has been his team’s most consistent performer with the bat as he topped the run charts for the tournament last year in UAE and is heading into the second half of IPL 2021. The right-hand batsman made 331 runs at an average of 66.20 and strike-rate of 136.21.
There has been criticism from certain corners about Rahul’s rate of scoring, with some claiming that he has been a touch too defensive at times. But the opening batsman has stood in conviction behind his approach.
Mayank Agarwal is only second to Rahul in the runs tally for PBKS with 260 runs at an impressive average of 43.33 and strike-rate of 141.30. Agarwal has usually batted at the top of the order for PBKS, but he could be demoted in the batting order to resolve his team’s middle-order issues. With someone like Aiden Markram coming into the side and likely to open alongside Rahul, Agarwal could be used to try and exploit the spinners’ in the opposition camp and bring more solidity to his team.
Since his debut season last year, Ravi Bishnoi has been one of the brightest talents in the league. Bishnoi, 21, bagged 12 wickets from his 14 innings of the IPL 2020 while going for a respectable 7.37 runs per over.
Shockingly, the wrist-spinner was benched by PBKS team management for the early games of the IPL 2021, but when he came back, the spinner made an immediate impact. He is heading into the UAE leg with 4 wickets from as many games at an economy rate of just 6.18.
Sanju Samson – the RR captain and undoubted talented right-hand batsman – is the biggest key to his team’s success. The day Samson gets going, the Royals look a different side, being able to cover up their flaws via their captain’s class and ability.
Samson scored a hundred during the Indian leg of the tournament. He also made a total of 277 runs from his seven innings at an average of 46.16 and strike-rate of 145.78. For the Royals to keep themselves in the competition, it is important that Samson performs and performs consistently.
The explosive South African batsman David Miller needs to come to the party as well for the Royals if they are to compete and claim a place in the top 4. Miller, who didn’t get his due opportunities in IPL 2021, finally had a run of games with RR during the Indian leg. But the left-hander failed to make those count and scored only 102 runs from his six innings at a strike-rate of only 127.50. He needs to turn things around for himself in the UAE.
Prediction
The clashes between these two team have always been interesting because of their longstanding tryst with flaws and inconsistency. This year, RR have managed to keep their heads above the water a lot more than PBKS have, reflected in their better win/loss record and position in the points table during the Indian leg.
However, the previous encounter between the two sides this year saw the Kings come out triumphant in a high-scoring game. Both Rahul and Samson played stand-out knocks for their side, but it was the former whose team ultimately won the cliff-hanger.
The Royals will have good memories of playing PBKS in the UAE from last year where they defeated their opposition both times during the league stage. They might just inch ahead of their mid-table rivals again.
