In the 23rd game of this year’s Indian Premier League, the Kings XI Punjab will take on the Rajasthan Royals. The match will be played at the PCA Stadium in Mohali, a home game for Punjab.
Punjab v Rajasthan odds:
The King s XI Punjab (9/10 at
Stan James) go into the game on a two-match winning streak, having beaten the Chennai Super Kings and Deccan Chargers in successive games. On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals (1/1 at
SportingBet) have had a couple of rough matches against the Kolkata Knight Riders at home and away. Their previous game was abandoned at Bangalore due to rain.
Playing at home could be an advantage for the Kings XI Punjab given their chase against the Super Kings, when they managed to get through to 189. They will be favourites to win this one.
Ground and Pitch:
The track at the PCA Stadium in Mohali is usually an easy one to bat on and allows the stroke-players to play freely. There could also be an issue with the dew given that it is an 8 pm start and that will make life even more difficult for the bowlers, especially in the second half of the innings.
Player News:
The Rajasthan Royals will hope that both Johan Botha (6/1 at
bet365) and Rahul Dravid (7/2 at
SkyBet) regain their fitness after missing the previous game against the Kolkata Knight Riders. On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals will hope that their captain Shane Warne does not fiddle around too much with the batting order; Shane Watson (11/4 at
Stan James) to open the innings while Ross Taylor (9/2 at
Stan James) to bat amongst the top four in the line-up.
The Kings XI Punjab will hope for an encore from Paul Valthaty (10/3 at
SkyBet) who has been the top-scorer for the side. The good news from Punjab’s perspective is that Adam Gilchrist (10/3 at
SkyBet) found his touch in the previous game as well. That should take some pressure off the inexperienced shoulders of Valthaty.
What Punjab will now need is for Shaun Marsh (9/2 at
SkyBet) to try and recapture some of the form that had seen him win the Orange cap in the first edition of the tournament. Especially given the knowledge that the Punjab middle-order is inexperienced and untested. David Hussey (9/2 at
Stan James) could just be itching to get a go and the only way he can come into the side is in place of Marsh.
Prediction:
Watson (4/1 at
Stan James) will double up as a bowler too and he could end up being the most economical bowler if he manages to swing the ball around.
