Our Prediction
-
As Rajasthan Royals have played a match against Chennai Super Kings and also won that match . this will be a big advantage as Punjab haven't played any Match at this venue yet. This may prove an advantage for the Royals .
-
Jos Butlerwill be joining the Rajasthan Squad from today and will also play the match , as he has completed his 7 days Qurantine Protocol . This will strengthen the batting line up and gives more exposure to the team .
-
Kings XI Punjab seems to be too dependent on KL Rahul , except KL Rahul other players like Glenn Maxwell and Nicolas Pooran will also have to contribute in Batting Department to balance the side and win matches .
Small Ground , Small Boundaries and a Bowlers Graveyard , this is the things one should relate with Historical Sharjah Cricket Ground . As many as 33 Sixes were hit in the first game , We Should not expect nothing less than that When Rajasthan Royals will take on Kings XI Punjab on Sunday Special . As both team possesses power hiters which can hit a ball a long way . Rajsthan should fancy their chances as they have the idea of the pitch and with arrival of Jos Butler in the team it will boost the batting lineup and will ease the burden from Steven Smith , Robin Uthappa and the man who looked solid in their opening game i.e Sanju Samson . They also have a strong Bowling Lineup with lethal pacers like Jofra Archer and Tom Curran and the spin department will be leaded by Shreyas Gopal and Rahul Tewatia , who was impressive in the previous game .
Kings XI Punjab will be high on Confidence at the back of an Special Innings from Skipper KL Rahul of 132* against Royal Challengers Bangalore which proved too much for the Bangalore and won the match by a huge Margin of 97 runs . But a different and tuff Challenge Awaits them this time around with a quality Bowling lineup ahead . Onus will be on in form KL Rahul but other players like Nicolas Pooran and explosive Glenn Maxwell Should also step up to help the side . Mayank Agarwal looked good in both the games and will like to carry his good form ahead also . Bowling lineup is good with likes of Mohammad Shami , Sheldon Cotrell and Young Ravi Bishnoi . All Rounder Jimmy Neesham should be an advantage for this Kings as he can deliver with both and bat and ball also will also save some runs in the outfield .
PITCH REPORT
Out of the three venues selected for the IPL, Sharjah, by far, is the best batting venue. It was apparent from the match between RR and CSK, in which as many as 33 sixes were hit and over 400 runs were scored across two innings. The ground has short straight boundaries and bowling full could be dangerous here. Spinners, who have so far been exceedingly successful in the tournament, might be a little hesitant to give the ball that extra bit of air. Among the fast bowlers, hitting the deck and taking the pace off the ball would be a key. Batting first team would like to score in excess of 190 .
TOSS PREDICTION
Over the last three years, the teams have preferred to chase so much that 83% of the time in the T20s played during the tenure, the captain winning the toss has elected to bowl first. The recently concluded match between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders was one such occasion, but the team batting second won with considerable ease . Team winning the toss will like to field first on this ground .
