The 32nd match of the IPL 2021 will be played between Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, Dubai on September 21, 2021. PBKS had defeated RR in their earlier encounter in the tournament which was a high-scoring affair.
RR is currently placed in the 6th spot in the IPL points table with 3 wins from 7 matches, while PBKS has 3 wins from 8 matches in the first half of the IPL 2021 and is placed at the 7th spot.
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Both of the teams need to constantly win matches to have a chance to qualify for the playoffs and what better way to start than facing one another.
Therefore, Team COC presents the Predicted Playing XIs for the PBSK and RR match
PUNJAB KINGS
Punjab Kings started off well in the IPL 2021, defeating Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai in a high-scoring encounter. They then defeated Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers Bangalore in the first half of the tournament, but still lost five matches which had put them in a precarious position on the points table.
The PBKS team lost the services of Dawid Malan, Jhye Richardson, and Riley Meredith for the second half in UAE.
PBKS boasts of formidable batting with the likes of KL Rahul, Mayank Agarwal, and Chris Gayle possibly occupying the first three spots.
Rahul has been in great form, while Gayle is coming off a decent CPL 2021. PBKS might think of bringing in Aiden Markram given that he did well with both the ball and bat in the recent T20I series against Sri Lanka.
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Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, and Shahrukh Khan will most likely be tasked with the job of hammering the bowling to all parts of the ground in the second half of the innings and all three have shown what they can do with the bat in the previous edition and in the first half of this tournament.
Adil Rashid is expected to make his IPL debut here and partner Ravi Bishnoi and Deepak Hooda in the spin department. PBKS has the choice of picking Murugan Ashwin and Harpreet Brar in the team as well.
However given the fresh nature of pitches in UAE, the PBKS fast bowling unit will have the onus of picking early wickets and captain Rahul will depend on Chris Jordan and Mohammad Shami to do the job. Arshdeep Singh was impressive in the chances he got earlier this year and expect him to continue with the good work.
RAJASTHAN ROYALS
The franchise that was hurt the most by foreign players withdrawing from the IPL 2021 was Rajasthan Royals, who lost Jofra Archer, Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler, Andrew Tye, and Gerald Coetzee.
However, they were fortunate to get back Liam Livingstone, who had left the first half of the IPL 2021 midway due to the COVID situation in India.
Livingstone is expected to open the innings with either Manan Vohra or Yashasvi Jaiswal for RR in the next round of matches in IPL 2021. Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, and David Miller, along with Shivam Dube might form the crux of the RR middle order.
Miller and Dube have good big-hitting abilities and can finish the game in a quick time of needed or add runs in a hurry.
Chris Morris is now the leader of the RR pace attack along with Jaydev Unadkat while Chetan Sakariya would be expected to shoulder more responsibility with the ball.
In the spin department, Rahul Tewatia, and Parag are expected to be joined by the world’s no.1 T20I bowler in Tabraiz Shamsi, who is coming off a good series in Sri Lanka.
PBKS COC Predicted Playing XI:
KL Rahul (C&WK), Mayank Agarwal, Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda, Nicholas Pooran, Shahrukh Khan, Chris Jordan, Mohammad Shami, Adil Rashid, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh
RR COC Predicted Playing XI:
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (C&WK), Riyan Parag, David Miller, Shivam Dube, Chris Morris, Rahul Tewatia, Tabraiz Shamsi, Chetan Sakariya, Jaydev Unadkat
