Pranav Khandale
Apr 12, 20213 min
RR vs PK Dream11 Team, Probable Playing XI, Toss, Pitch and Match Preview: It’s a battle of big-hitting batsmen in Wankhede.
Collectively the two sides have some of the big hitters in the game. Not to mention their ability to go berserk right from the beginning. A score below 200 will be a cake walk for the chasing side.
Archer’s absence is a big blow for RR; unfortunately, he will remain absent at least for the initial 4 games. Ben Stokes and Jos Buttler have been in a blistering form. It feels like the Mumbai wicket is tailor made for these two batsmen. RR will depend on Buttler, Stokes and Samson to build a strong foundation. Despite having a high economy rate, Mohammed Shami bowled 140 dot bowls in 14 matches last season.
Chris Gayle has acclimatised well to the No 3 position. KL Rahul must catch up in terms of strike rate. Last season Rahul stroked at just 124 during the powerplay. The top four batsmen including Rahul, Agarwal, Gayle and Pooran have collectively scored 1,735 runs last season. Despite Wankhede being a high scoring ground, Punjab have not enjoyed much success here. They have won only 4 out of 13 matches that they have played at Wankhede.
A small sized ground, red soil hard wicket with a lush green outfield is another definition of a bowler’s nightmare. Fast bowlers might still extract some bounce to deceive the batsmen, but spinners will have to bowl with a big heart. 200+ score is again on the charts. The side that wins the toss must opt to bowl. Majority of the matches in Mumbai are won by sides chasing a target. The dew factor is a bigger bonus for the chasing side.
Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson © (wk), Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Rahut Tewatia, Shreyas Gopal, Andrew Tye and Kartik Tyagi
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul © (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Saurabh Kumar, Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami
Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings
Date & Time: 12th April 2021, Monday – 7:30 PM IST
Live Telecast: Star Sports Network & Disney + Hotstar
Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Jos Butler and Sanju Samson
Punjab Kings: KL Rahul, Chris Gayle and Nicholas Pooran
Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Jos Butler and Sanju Samson
Punjab Kings: Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran and Mayank Agarwal
Rajasthan Royals: Andrew Tye and Chris Morris
Punjab Kings: Riley Meredith, Arshdeep Singh and Mohammed Shami
I have selected all the wicketkeeper batsmen who are expected to play on Monday. The likes of Butler, Samson, Rahul and Pooran are too good to be missed out on a flat track. The second reason to invest so heavily in this section is, all the selected batsmen, bat in the top order for their respective sides.
Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal are obvious choices for me for the flair they have shown in the recent times. Gayle is someone you cannot afford to miss out on in any T20 game. My third batsman is going to be either Manan Vohra or Yashasvi Jaiswal whoever opens with Stokes.
I am allowed only one all-rounder due to the number of players I have selected in the first two categories. Ben Stokes is my first choice All-rounder, Ben Stokes as an opening batsman averages 40.7 with a strike rate of 157. Chris Morris was the other option I had considered in this category.
I have taken my chances here by selecting Ravi Bishnoi, I feel a wrist spinner has more to offer in terms of variations. Riley Meredith and Andrew Tye are the other two bowlers in my squad who are T20 specialist.
All our selections are based on in-depth and astute analysis of the players partaking in the match, pitch report and a perusal of other reasoning. Please incorporate a slew of factors while crafting your own side with this article serving as a guide to the match and players.