Upbeat Royals take on red-hot Kings XI as the teams battle for successive wins

Coming into the fixture on the back of wins in their respective games, Kings XI Punjab and Rajasthan Royals will be keen to carry forward their winning form when they face each other at Sharjah on Sunday evening. While the Kings XI Punjab will be encouraged by the might of their top-order, Rajasthan Royals will be upbeat having experienced and being acclimatized to the harsh bowling conditions of a shorter outfield in Sharjah.

The Royals will be further boosted by the availability of their dynamic English opener Jos Buttler who has completed his quarantine. Unfortunately, South African David Miller might have to make way for the Englishman. A Sanju Samson six-fest, an innings in which his hitting prowess was on complete display clearing the boundary 9 times will be a reason for the Royals to feel optimistic about their chances against Punjab. Steve Smith’s 69 provided the perfect foil for Samson’s more explosive approach. With two exciting prospects in Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson sandwiched between the experience of Jos Buttler and Steve Smith, the Kings XI bowlers will have their task cut out.

Despite a quick start to the run-chase, Royals were able to apply the brakes on the CSK innings with wickets from the Rahul Tewatia. The leggie broke the back of Chennai’s pursuit with three key wickets just when Chennai were looking to push on from a brisk start. On a day where more than 400 runs were scored, Jofra Archer’s economy rate of 6.5 was by far the best for any bowler.

Kings XI, on the other hand, will have their own set of reasons to be confident about one-upping the Royals. While the Karnataka opening pair of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal have put on a show of their own in the first two matches, the fact that the middle order of Nicholas Pooran and Glen Maxwell have not had much to do despite the Kings’ impressive start to the campaign is a heartening sign for the Kings.

Their bowling has looked impressive in both the games, restricting the explosive Delhi Capitals to 96/6 at one stage, and then bowling out the Royal Challengers Bangalore for 109 is no mean feat. Mohammad Shami has been their destructor-in-chief at the top and the movement and precision of his pairing with West Indian Sheldon Cottrell has given the Kings XI ammunition at the top of the innings.

The game throws up some mouthwatering contests between the Karnataka trio of KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal against the leg-spin of Shreyas Gopal. Jofra Archer steaming in to bowl to an in-form Kings XI opening pair will also be a battle to watch out. On a ground where sixes are hit at a batsman’s whim, wicket-taking bowlers will be a prized asset. Rajasthan having already played a game at the venue will have a slight edge over their opponents who have played both their matches in a larger Dubai International Stadium.