Following its scramble out of Dharamsala, Punjab Kings will look to maintain its momentum and extend its Playoffs bid in the Indian Premier League 2025 when it faces Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur.
PBKS will also look to use the outing on Sunday to acclimatize to the new elements for the final games against Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals here. Even with a win against RR, the Shreyas Iyer-led side will need to secure a victory against MI or DC to seal its Playoffs qualification, a feat it last charted a decade back in 2014.
That the venue has supported batting should make PBKS’ transition easier. The average first innings score here in the four games this season stands just shy of 195.
PBKS has been catapulted to success by its top-order accumulators. Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya have added 406 runs for the first wicket in 11 games this year, second only to their Gujarat Titans counterparts. The duo dismantled the Capitals’ bowling unit with a 122-run partnership the last time they shared the crease, only for it to be relegated to oblivion when the contest was called off.
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Shreyas Iyer has consolidated at number three, having accumulated 405 runs from 11 games. He allayed any fears over a slump in form with a 25-ball 45 against Lucknow Super Giants in PBKS’ last completed game. Together, the three have combined for nearly 65 per cent of the team’s runs in IPL 2025.
The early contributions have shielded the side from a shaky middle-order that is yet to fit its overseas pieces. With Josh Inglis and Marcus Stoinis yet to rejoin the team for the resumption, the top order will again shoulder the burden.
The focus was on batting for the Royals too. Lhuan-dre Pretorius’ extended net session on match eve hinted at a potential IPL debut for the Protea. But the bigger reinforcement comes in the return of Sanju Samson, who was cleared to play after suffering a side strain that kept him out for five games.
Combined with an in-form Yashasvi Jaiswal and Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Samson and Pretorious should add enough flamboyance that could avert a death-overs meltdown, of which the side was guilty once again in its one-run loss to Kolkata Knight Riders.
The left-hand heavy middle-order comprising Shimron Hetmyer and Shubham Dubey could neutralise the leg-break of Yuzvendra Chahal, who returns to his former home – he has an almost enviable economy of 8.25 at the venue.
But what RR gains in its batting ranks, it loses in the bowling. Jofra Archer was ruled out of the remaining season due to a thumb injury. With Sandeep Sharma already sidelined, Akash Madhwal and Yudhvir Singh Charak will need to step up.
A win to close the home season may be a mere embellishment in a lacklustre season, but a consolidated effort, with an almost full-strength unit, could help chalk a way towards better days.