IPL 2024: Rajasthan Royals strongest predicted playing XI against Punjab Kings

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) will be up against each other in the 27th match of the IPL 2024. Both teams have suffered a thrilling loss in their previous encounter and would be hoping to return to winning ways. Both teams have made headlines for performances from some of their young guns. RR has seen Riyan Parag come of age to finally deliver. For PBKS, Shashank Singh and Asutosh Sharma have been brilliant with the bat lower down the order.

Both teams have contrasting strengths so far. For RR, their batting has mostly been dependent on the duo of Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag. The openers have been average barring Jos Buttler's knock against RCB. As Samson and Parag have batted longer, other batters have not gotten enough exposure, which has meant a lack of runs from the lower middle order. Their bowling has been the best in the tournament so far, which has been the main reason for their success.

PBKS have relied mostly on the younger batters lower down the order to win games for them. Shikhar Dhawan and Prabsimran Singh have chipped in with decent contributions. But nothing has been significant. Shashank Singh and Asutosh Sharma have been the saviours of PBKS so far. The bowling unit looks good on paper but has failed to step up against some of the best teams in the league. They need to be better with the bat and with the ball against a side like RR. 

Click Here: PBKS vs RR Live Score, Match 27

Here is the predicted playing XI of RR for the 27th game of the IPL 2024 against PBKS :

Openers - Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler

RR will continue with the pair of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler at the top. The duo needs to fire for RR before it gets too late. Jaiswal needs to bat well and return to form as soon as possible. His place in the Indian team is in trouble following his poor form in the ongoing season. The Southpaw needs to fire at the top and give good starts to his side. While he can bowl a bit, RR might not need him to deliver with the ball. His form with the bat is necessary for RR.

Jos Buttler played a fine knock against RCB where he smashed a hundred. Barring that, his performances have been otherwise mediocre. Being the experienced batter, he needs to guide RR with his batting. But the English captain has been woefully out of form. Given the quality of batters in the lineup of RR, Jos needs to be fearless. The star batter needs to return to his destructive nature where the bowlers fear to bowl him. On his day, Buttler can win matches on his own.

Also Read: Orange Cap in IPL 2024- Most Runs

Middle Order - Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, and Dhruv Jurel 

In the middle order, RR will continue with the same batting order. At number 3, Sanju Samson has been great for his side. He has led from the front and taken down the spinners and pacers equally well. He has been good as a skipper and as a wicket keeper as well. To follow him would be Riyan Parag who has been one of the best middle-order batters in the league. The youngster has performed well for RR in all the matches and has been their MVP so far.

To follow him would be the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel. Hetmyer was very good for RR in the IPL 2022 where he singlehandedly won some matches for them. In 2023, his numbers were not up to the mark. In 2024, Hetmyer has not gotten many chances. It is not much different with Jurel, who has not gotten enough chances to bat. The right-handed batter would be hoping to get a chance so that he can prove himself as a lower middle-order batter.

Also Check: Kolkata vs Rajasthan , Match 31 - MPL Opinio Prediction

All-Rounders - Shubham Dubey and Ravichandran Ashwin

In the last couple of matches, RR has gone for Shubham Dubey as their impact substitute while batting. However, the youngster has not had a chance to bat yet. Given their bowling, Dubey has not had an opportunity to bowl either. Shubham is rated well by the management of RR which means of a longer run. The RR player can finish the games well and deliver an over or two if necessary. He brings stability to the batting order which is essential with the impact rule.

To follow him would be Ravichandran Ashwin whose performances often go unnoticed. The experienced player does his job silently and helps the side both as a batter and as a bowler. It was his cameo that helped RR gain momentum against DC earlier this season. With the ball, he has been at his miserly best. The 37-year-old can bowl economical spells from his end which helps bowlers at the other end to take wickets. Ashwin has proved his worth as a batter too.

Bowlers - Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan, and Kuldeep Sen (Impact substitute)

RR has arguably the best bowling lineup in the ongoing season. With the new ball, they have the duo of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger. Although the latter did not play the last game, the former is a beast with the new ball and impacts the game in a matter of a couple of overs. In the middle overs, RR has a lot of options. Yuzvendra Chahal has been at his usual best. The experienced spinner can take wickets from his end without conceding a lot of runs. 

In the middle overs, RR unleashed a young talent like Kuldeep Sen who was brilliant against GT in his first three overs. It is better to not allot him the deathovers. The right-arm pacer is best used in the middle overs where he can claim wickets. At the other end, RR Has Avesh Khan who is their designated death bowler. To support him at the other end, RR might get an over from Trent Boult and Chahal. But having Sandeep Sharma can solve their problem.

Also Read: Purple Cap in IPL 2024- Most Wickets

RR's predicted XI for the game against PBKS :

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Shubham Dubey, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Yuzvendra Chahal, Avesh Khan

Impact substitute - Kuldeep Sen