Punjab Kings try to make Mullanpur a fortress; Sanju Samson returns with captaincy hat: PBKS vs RR IPL match likely XIs

Is this the year for Punjab Kings? They have a settled lineup, plenty of exciting young Indian talent, quality overseas options they can rely on, and a captain who knows his way around running a successful IPL team. Punjab have always carried the tag of the lovable loser, consistently finding themselves with some famous moments but never able to leverage that into a consistently challenging team. There is a different air around them this year as they comfortably won their first two matches: this is a team that intends to give winning a real shot.

Their next opponents as they look to keep this winning streak going will be the Rajasthan Royals, who didn’t have the greatest of starts but were able to claw back to snatch their first win of the season. The big news for Rajasthan is that captain Sanju Samson is back on the field, and their hope will be that his return to captaincy will also spark their batting order to life.

There is more to come from RR, with their Indian batting core of Samson, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Riyan Parag being kept quiet so far. Nitish Rana did announce himself in the Jaipur pink against CSK, and this will give this batting unit more confidence. Significant, however, was their bowling display against CSK, after having seen Jofra Archer and company decimated in previous matches.

If Archer can keep up his form and look closer to his best, this RR team suddenly begins to look very good. Add to this a nerveless Sandeep Sharma and a tricky Wanindu Hasaranga, this RR outfit begins to look a lot more competitive. If RR do look for a change, it might be to give someone like Akash Madhwal a chance, to see if he can add to their fortunes.

Punjab, meanwhile, are unlikely to tinker. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya provide a great platform, Shreyas Iyer has looked like the best batter this tournament so far, and they haven’t had to see what Glenn Maxwell and Marcus Stoinis have in the tank just yet. Nehal Wadhera also batted beautifully, and down the order, Shashank Singh and Suryansh Shedge will also pack a punch. It is a fun, innovative, and exciting team.

Add the seam bowling quality of Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, and Lockie Ferguson, and you have a unit that could really put the IPL on alert in coming weeks. One change they might consider is an extra spinner in Harpreet Brar coming in on their spin-friendly turf. Can they live up to the hype in their first game at home in Mullanpur and go three-for-three to start off?

Check PBKS and RR Likely XIs

PBKS likely XI: Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Glenn Maxwell, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

RR likely XI: Sanju Samson (c), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Sandeep Sharma