'When you want to win a championship, being excellent all around is important' - Kris Srikkanth's advice to PBKS ahead of clash vs RR

Former India chief selector Kris Srikkanth suggested one change that the Punjab Kings should make in their playing XI for their upcoming clash against the Rajasthan Royals on Tuesday, April 28. This eagerly-awaited clash is set to be held at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.

Srikkanth said that the Punjab Kings, despite remaining unbeaten in the first seven games of the season, have a few areas of concern in the bowling department. The former India opener suggested that the Kings should bring spin-bowling all-rounder Harpreet Brar into the side in place of speedster Vijaykumar Vyshak. The latter has six wickets in as many innings, averaging 36.50. His economy rate is a dismal 10.95.

"Their bowling is a slight worry. They have to play Harpreet Brar. They need to strengthen their spin attack by bringing him in. The wickets will also take more turn as the season goes by. So Brar should definitely play instead of Vyshak Vijayakumar. Brar has a fantastic economy rate and always does well. He's a very good bowler and doesn't need a turning track. He'll do well even on a normal wicket."

Srikkanth noted that the Punjab Kings have been conceding 200-plus totals in almost every game. He expressed the need to do well across all facets of the game in order to clinch the title.

"PBKS are giving up over 200 runs in every match. Though they end up chasing it down always, giving up 200 every time is a worry. That's not a good sign. When you want to win a championship, being excellent all around is important," he added.

It might be a very close match: Srikkanth

Srikkanth opined that the clash between Punjab and Rajasthan could be closely contested. The cricketer-turned-expert added that while Rajasthan's middle order is "very weak," the bowling lineup is formidable.

"It might be a very close match. Archer is breathing fire, and Nandre Burger on the other side provides great support. But RR's batting is reliant on just their top three. So if PBKS get early wickets, RR will be in trouble. You can't expect one of Jaiswal, Suryavanshi and Jurel to score every match. RR's middle order is very weak, but their bowling is deadly," said Srikkanth (via the aforementioned source).