IPL 2023 – PBKS vs RR Player Battle – Mayank Agarwal’s Punjab Kings will play against Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals in the 52nd match of Indian Premier League 2022. The match will take place at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Here’s a look at the Top Player Battles to watch out for in this IPL clash between PBKS and RR:
Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals rivalry
The Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals have a moderate rivalry in the Indian Premier League (IPL). The two teams have faced each other 22 times as of the 2021 IPL season, with Punjab Kings winning 12 matches and Rajasthan Royals winning 10.
The rivalry between the two teams started in the first season of the IPL in 2008. Rajasthan Royals won their first encounter against Punjab Kings by 6 wickets, and went on to win the championship that year. Since then, both teams have been involved in many closely contested matches.
In the 2015 season, Punjab Kings won both their matches against Rajasthan Royals. However, the next season saw Rajasthan Royals turn the tables as they won both matches against Punjab Kings.
The rivalry between the two teams has also seen some memorable individual performances. In the 2018 season, KL Rahul scored the fastest fifty in IPL history off just 14 balls against Rajasthan Royals. In the 2020 season, Rahul Tewatia played a stunning innings of 53 runs off 31 balls to help Rajasthan Royals chase down a target of 224 runs against Punjab Kings.
Overall, the Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals rivalry may not be as intense as some of the other rivalries in the IPL, but it is still an exciting contest to watch, with both teams having the ability to produce some stunning performances.
KL Rahul vs Chetan Sakariya
KL Rahul is an IPL veteran already. In IPL 2020, he scored a staggering 670 runs in 14 innings at an impressive average of 55.83 and a robust strike rate 129.34. With his prolific performance in that campaign in the UAE last year, Rahul showed that captaincy does not burden him. Young Captain Samson will use his best bowler against him. Chetan Sakariya has impressed everyone with his bowling. He has been bowling economically and also taking some big wickets. He will surely try to get the wicket of the skipper of Hyderabad. In July, he also made his debut for Indian team against Sri Lanka.
For us, the winner will be Chetan Sakariya in this IPL player battle.
Sanju Samson vs Ravi Bishnoi
Sanju Samson is the specialist of IPL. He has not yet proved himself for India but he has definitely made his impact in IPL. This year he has been given the responsibility of leading Rajasthan Royals. In IPL 2020, he scored 375 runs in 14 innings at an average of 28.84 while striking at 158.89. While there were some huge knocks at the beginning of the season, inconsistency, his nemesis, soon caught up with him. Punjab will try to mix the pace up a bit and get spin early on in the form of Ravi Bishnoi against the skipper. The Punjab leg-spinner made his debut in IPL 2020. In 14 matches, the spinner picked 12 wickets at a strike rate of 25.50. His economy rate of 7.37 is also impressive.
For us, the winner will be Sanju Samson in this player battle.
Liam Livingstone vs Mohammad Shami
Jos Butler has pulled out of IPL 2021. Rajasthan would look to get Livingstone to open the batting. Livingstone was a part of Royals in the starting also but was unable to get any opportunity. He’s played 13 T20 matches since (including nine in the Hundred) and is averaging 52.00 while striking at 190.47. Now he will be a regular starter for the Royals in each game he’s available. Punjab will be wary of the dangers that Livingstone might pose with his range-hitting and a penchant for that big knock. KL Rahul will, therefore, rely on the precision of veteran Mohammad Shami. The fast bowler was at the peak of his powers last year. In IPL 2020, he was Punjab’s go-to-bowler right through their campaign. From 14 matches, he took 20 wickets, striking at 16.10. With a reasonably good economy rate of 8.57, his best was a 3/15 effort.
For us, the winner will be Liam Livingstone in this player battle.
