Venue: Dubai International Stadium, Dubai
Time: 7:30 PM IST
Average score at venue: 161
Win percentage while batting first: 41.46%
Pitch Conditions:
- The pitch at the Dubai International Stadium tends to support batsmen throughout the contest with the surface going a little sluggish towards the end.
- Fast bowlers have a greater share of wickets at this venue with 66.96% of the wickets coming their way. On the other hand, spinners have only 33.04% of the wickets in their kitty.
Weather prediction:
The city of Dubai will witness a clear and sunny day on Tuesday which will remain consistent. The temperature will drop down from 35° celsius to 34° celsius after sunset whereas humidity level will be around 60-61%.
Head-to-head performance:
Matches played: 22
Punjab Kings (PBKS) won: 10
Rajasthan Royals (RR) won: 12
Tied: –
Top 3 players from Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran
Top 3 players from Rajasthan Royals (RR): Sanju Samson, Chris Morris, Shivam Dube
Top picks for H2H/WTA contest (top 5 players each)
Top 5 players from Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul, Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Mohammad Shami, Arshdeep Singh
Top 5 players from Rajasthan Royals (RR): Sanju Samson, Chris Morris, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Yashasvi Jaiswal
Q&A:
Should I pick more bowlers, batsmen or all-rounders?
As witnessed on Sunday night in the contest between Chennai Super Kings and Mumbai Indians, it is important to carry a good batting depth in your fantasy XI whereas also select plenty of fast bowling options. While both CSK and MI had strong spin bowling options, it was the fast bowlers who delivered a victory for Chennai Super Kings, which can be said was the same for Mumbai Indians, at least at the start of the game when they had CSK reeling at 23/4 at one stage. The pitch at Dubai remains favourable for batting and teams would want to make the most of the opportunity when they get to bat first, as a strong total on board is always crucial to apply pressure on the opposition.
From which team should I pick more players in my XI? Which team is stronger?
The contest between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals is the one which can be termed as a battle between similar teams. In a holistic view, there is not a lot that separates both the teams which was evident in their standings in the Indian T20 2021 points table when the tournament was postponed earlier this year in India. Both Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals have plenty of firepower in their ranks as well as promise, but it is at crucial moments when they tend to slip and lose contests which is something that will be the top priority to address for both the teams. However, with Rajasthan Royals missing several of their frontline players such as Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer, it can be said that Punjab Kings should be the side with more players in the fantasy playing XI, even though they are without the world’s best T20I batsman Dawid Malan.
MORE INFORMATION:
Players’ form: KL Rahul is perhaps the best batsman who is also the captain of a team in the Indian T20 given by the sheer amount of runs that he gets consistently. The Punjab Kings captain was ruled out of action in the first leg due to an acute abdominal issue, but his recent exploits during India’s tour of England indicates that Rahul is primed to dominate the bowlers once again at the Indian T20 stage. His counterpart, Sanju Samson from the Rajasthan Royals, has been perennially struggling with the problem of being inconsistent and given that he will be without some of his preferred batsmen, it will be up to the Kerala wicketkeeper-batsman to find his way around his demons and score on a regular basis. Punjab Kings also have Chris Gayle in their ranks, who scored significant runs in the recently-concluded Caribbean Premier League, and the new world No 1 T20I bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who is set for his Indian T20 debut this season.
Changes in squad (if any): YES
LIKELY XIs:
Punjab Kings (PBKS): KL Rahul (c&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Fabian Allen/Adil Rashid, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Mohammed Shami.
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Evin Lewis, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c&wk), Liam Livingstone, Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Kartik Tyagi/Chetan Sakariya, Mustafizur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat.
FANTASY XI:
KL Rahul (c), Sanju Samson (vc&wk), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Liam Livingstone, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Ravi Bishnoi, Jaydev Unadkat.
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Punjab Kings, Rajasthan Royals look to shrug off inconsistency
It is the tale of promise not being fulfilled — Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals have some of the most exciting players on the circuit, both the teams have worked incredibly hard to get their combinations and coaching staff right, both the teams have also shown plenty of promise and pedigree to be successful at the Indian T20 live, but yet there is a lot that is left to be desired.
Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals finished the first leg of Indian T20 2021 tournament in India outside the periphery of what would eventually become the group of teams which will advance to the knockout round. Rajasthan Royals had done a little better than Punjab Kings for that matter, finishing at 5th spot with 6 points in 7 matches that included 3 wins and 4 defeats.
On the other hand, Punjab Kings were struggling at the 6th position with 3 victories and 5 defeats giving them 6 points in 8 matches. If at any stage in the second leg of Indian T20, the Net Run Rate (NRR) comes into play, Punjab Kings will find themselves on the wrong end with theirs being -0.368 compared to Rajasthan Royals’ -0.190.
Rajasthan Royals will be without the firepower of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes, Jofra Archer and Andrew Tye for the remainder of Indian T20 2021, but they have brought in some exciting replacements in Evin Lewis, Oshane Thomas, Glenn Phillips and Tabraiz Shamsi. That being said, Rajasthan Royals certainly need some more from their spin bowlers as Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal struggled throughout the first leg of the Indian T20 2021.
While Samson remains the best batsman for Rajasthan Royals, Liam Livingstone of England can be said as the most exciting one to watch out for. Livingstone is an aggressive batsman with attacking instincts with stunning strokeplay, and Rajasthan would certainly expect a lot of runs from him given that their big guns Buttler and Stokes are missing.
Rajasthan Royals will also have to get their batting order right, which was not the case in the first leg. Shivam Dubey, an all-rounder with no particular specialisation, was promoted at No 4 in several matches ahead of the likes of Chris Morris, who batted late but won Rajasthan a crucial match against Delhi Capitals. A lot will also be desired from Riyan Parag and Tewatia, who can be match-winners for RR on their day.
For Punjab Kings to go the distance in this Indian T20, it will be imperative for their middle order to stand up and deliver and not just depend on the top which consists of Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Chris Gayle. With Pooran and Deepak Hooda in the middle order , there is assurance but not a body of work. In Arshdeep Singh and Ravi Bishnoi, Punjab Kings have tremendous promise with the ball, with Mohammad Shami being the leader of their attack.
As far as fast bowling is concerned, Punjab Kings will be missing two preferred bowlers in Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson with another Australian in Nathan Ellis coming into the side along with South Africa’s Aiden Markram and England’s Adil Rashid.
