PBKS vs RR in IPL 2021: Balance key as Gayle, Agarwal aim to lighten the burden on KL Rahul’s shoulders – Punjab Kings will resume their IPL 2021 campaign on Tuesday when they take on the Rajasthan Royals in Dubai. Kings have been on a dry run and haven’t made the playoffs for six straight seasons, and KL Rahul and Co. will be hoping to arrest that streak in Phase 2. They resume at 6th in the points table, having accumulated 6 points in eight games.
One of Punjab Kings’ biggest strengths remains their explosive top order with Karnataka stars KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal opening the batting with Chris Gayle slotted next. The middle-order and batting depth remains shaky and head coach Anil Kumble will hope that the side can pull through on their batting might.
PBKS vs RR in IPL 2021: The addition of Aiden Markram for Dawid Malan is intended to add competition for Nicholas Pooran, who had a forgettable run in Phase 1. The pullouts of Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith do deplete their stocks but the signings of Adil Rashid and Nathan Ellis make up for shrewd acquisitions.
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PBKS vs RR in IPL 2021: For Punjab Kings, the onus will be on their foreign picks to put up a show and complement the Indian talent in the squad. The likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal and Mohammed Shami deliver more often than not, with Gayle, Chris Jordan and Co. needing to step up and put in a consistent show to help them reach the playoffs.
PBKS vs RR in IPL 2021: What Punjab Kings need to make it to IPL 2021 playoffs
Punjab Kings – 5 Victories of 6 Remaining Matches: The perennial under-achievers of IPL, Punjab Kings this time is currently at the sixth spot in the IPL points table. KL Rahul side struggled in PHASE 1 and could muster only 3 victories of 8 matches. They have a tremendous squad at disposal but would need 5 victories in the remaining 6 matches to qualify for play-offs.
In the second leg, they have to face: Rajasthan Royals (RR), Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Chennai Super Kings (CSK), Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), and Mumbai Indians (MI).
PBKS vs RR in IPL 2021: Punjab Kings squad
KL Rahul (Captain), Chris Gayle, Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Mandeep Singh, Sarfaraz Khan, Deepak Hooda, Prabhsimran Singh, Mohammed Shami, Chris Jordan, Darshan Nalkande, Ravi Bishnoi, Murugan Ashwin, Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Ishan Porel, Moises Henriques, Shahrukh Khan, Pratyush Singh, Jalaj Saxena, Nathan Ellis, Adil Rashid, Aiden Markram
Predicted XI: KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shah Rukh Khan, Fabian Allen, Harpreet Brar/Ravi Bishnoi, Chris Jordan, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh.
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