IPL 2022: Match 52 – Predicted Punjab Kings Playing XI vs Rajasthan Royals

Punjab Kings (PBKS) have managed to secure only five victories in 10 league matches of the Indian Premier League 2022. They now have only four group stage matches remaining and will have to win at least three of them to have a strong case for themselves for the playoffs spot. In their last league match, they ended the five-match winning streak of the Gujarat Titans and won that game by eight wickets.

Kings displayed terrific performance with the ball to restrict the opposition to a score of 143, with Kagiso Rabada being the pick of the bowlers. In response, the batters chased down the score in just 16 overs, with Shikhar Dhawan and Bhanuka Rajapaksa providing most of the contributions.

In their next outing, PBKS will face the Rajasthan Royals (RR) on May 7 at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. For this fixture, the team is expected to make forced changes with Harpreet Brar coming in place of Rahul Chahar, who sustained a hand injury in the last league match.

Here’s a look at the Punjab Kings predicted XI against RR:

Openers: Jonny Bairstow and Shikhar Dhawan

The opening duo of Punjab Kings was changed in the last fixture, with Jonny Bairstow coming in place of Mayank Agarwal. However, they need to stitch some good partnerships and will have to get their act together to provide a good start to the team in their upcoming matches.

In seven innings, Bairstow has accumulated only 80 runs, with an average of 11.43, and a nominal strike rate of 105.26. In the last fixture, he batted at his ideal position but could score only 1 run and was dismissed while playing a pull shot off Mohammed Shami’s bowling.

The seasoned campaigner, Dhawan is the glue that binds the PBKS batting together, as he can knock around and stitch partnerships in an emphatic manner. In 10 innings, he has amassed 369 runs, with a top score of 88*. In the last league match, he contributed 62* off 53 balls.

Middle-order: Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Mayank Agarwal (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk)

After the opening slot, Kings have a talented middle-order as well. The Sri Lankan batter Bhanuka Rajapaksa was again brought back to the team, and he returned with an impressive performance. In the last league match, the southpaw scored 40 off 28 balls and stitched a fine partnership of 87 runs with Dhawan to help the team in winning the match.

The captain Mayank Agarwal has been in disappointing form in the tournament, and a lot more is expected from him. After the completion of the last league match, he has given a hint of him batting at the number four position. In nine innings, he has scored only 161 runs, at an average of 20.13, with a top score of 52.

The wicket-keeper Jitesh Sharma has not batted enough in the last few matches, but has surely done well to contribute in a quickfire fashion in the tournament. In six innings, he has scored 124 runs with a strike rate of 156.96.

All-rounders: Liam Livingstone and Rishi Dhawan

The team has quality all-rounders who have a good experience in the T20 format. The Englishman Liam Livingstone has been in terrific form in the tournament, and it has been his best-ever season of the IPL. Certainly, the mentality of the team has suited him more in this franchise.

In 10 innings, Livingstone has tonked 293 runs at a strike rate of 186.62, with a top score of 64. In the last league match, he scored 30* off 10 balls, and hit the biggest six of 117 m in this season.

Rishi made his way into the team after recovering from injury and the team also needed an experienced pace-bowling all-rounder. In three appearances, he has taken three wickets and has scored 21 runs. In the previous match, his bowling was quite economical as he gave away just 26 runs in his four overs and took one wicket.

Bowlers: Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma

The bowling department has been a little inconsistent with their performances, but the performance in the last fixture will keep them upbeat ahead of this league match. The Proteas pacer Rabada has scalped 17 wickets in nine appearances, and is the leading wicket-taker for the team. In the last fixture, he finished with figures of 4/33 in his four overs.

One of the retained pacers, Arshdeep Singh is not at his best, but has been very economical to say the least. In 10 matches, the youngster has four wickets at an economy of 7.85. On the other hand, Sandeep Sharma gave away only 17 runs off his full quota of overs and would look to continue the same form.

In the last game, Rahul Chahar injured himself while receiving the ball from the fielder during one of his overs. Harpreet Brar can possibly replace Rahul Chahar for this match, he can be given an opportunity in this fixture due to the number of right-handers in the RR team.

PBKS’s predicted playing XI for the RR clash: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma.