IPL 2021, Match 4: RR vs PBKS, Stats Preview: Player records and approaching milestones

Rajasthan Royals are set to clash with Punjab Kings in their first game of the Indian Premier League 2021. This match will be played on 12th April at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. RR will be playing with a new captain in form of Sanju Samson this season. On the other hand, Punjab Kings are playing with a new name and will be led by another wicketkeeper-batsman in form of KL Rahul.

Rajasthan Royals finished at the bottom of the points tally last year, while Punjab won 6 out of the 14 games and were at the 6th position. Both teams would want to make a fresh start in IPL 2021 after a lacklustre performance last season.

Let’s look at important stats and numbers ahead of the clash between Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings:

1 – Chris Gayle has smacked 349 sixes in his IPL career so far. He needs 1 more six to complete 350 sixes in IPL, and become the first player to reach the landmark in league history.

44.26 – PBKS captain KL Rahul is going to be a key in the batting line-up for the team. His average of 44.26 in IPL is the highest for any player in the tournament with a minimum of 10 innings played.

157.41 – For Rajasthan Royals, Jos Buttler might open the innings against PBKS. His strike rate of 157.41 as an opener is the best in IPL history with a minimum of 1000 runs scored. He has an impressive strike rate of 155.3 in the powerplay.

2014 –  Punjab have failed to qualify for the playoffs in the last 6 consecutive seasons. The last time they made it to the top 4 in IPL was back in 2014, where they were runners-up.

167.7 – Punjab Kings have got an explosive batsman in form of Nicholas Pooran in their middle order. He has a strike rate of 167.7 in the middle overs and is only behind Virender Sehwag (172.7) in this regard.

7.69 – In absence of Jofra Archer, the Rajasthan Royals team would hope for a good performance from Chris Morris whom they bought for 16.25 crore in the mini-auction. His economy rate of 7.69 in the death overs in last year’s IPL was best for any bowler with a minimum of 10 overs bowled in the phase.

2 – Shreyas Gopal 2 more wickets to complete 50 wickets in the tournament. He has taken 48 wickets in 45 IPL matches at an average of 24.23 and an economy of 7.85.