PBKS vs RR: IPL 2023 Records & Stats at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium, Dharamsala

Rajasthan Royals (RR) will fly to Dharamsala as they face Punjab Kings (PBKS) for the second time in a winner-takes-all contest in match 66 of IPL 2023 at Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium on 19^th May 2023.

Punjab Kings will be coming into the contest on the back of a spoilsport played by Delhi Capitals in the last game. They lost against DC by a margin of 15 runs despite Liam Livingstone’s late heroics while chasing a massive 214. PBKS will now not only need a big win but also hope many results go their way so as to get into playoffs. A loss in the coming game will ensure their exit from the tournament. 

Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, will be heading into the game after being humiliated by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their last game. A huge 112-run margin loss has complicated their qualifying process. RR now not only need a win against PBKS but also need a favour from SRH to beat both RCB and MI.

For RR, Yashasvi Jaiswal is the go-to batter as he has so far aggregated 575 runs in 13 games at an average of 47.92 while Jos Buttler has managed to score 392 runs and Sanju Samson has scored 360 runs. In the bowling department, Yuzvendra Chahal leads the chart with 21 wickets, while Ravichandran Ashwin and Trent Boult have taken 14 and 12 wickets, respectively. RR would look to end the league stage on a high.

For PBKS, both Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh have aggregated 356 runs, with Dhawan averaging 44.50 and Singh averaging 27.38, while Liam Livingstone has aggregated 270 runs at an impressive strike rate of 170.88.

In the bowling department, Arshdeep Singh holds the key with 16 wickets in 13 games, while Nathan Ellis has picked 12 wickets. The duo of Sam Curran and Harpreet Brar have picked nine wickets each. PBKS too would look to end the league stage on a high.

HPCA Stadium Pitch Report batting or bowling:

The surface at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium is a batting paradise. Anything close to 200 will be a good score and bowling first will be ideal as dew can play a huge part in the latter half of the match.

PBKS vs RR Head-to Head Record:

In as many as 25 games played between the two, Rajasthan Royals have dominated the contest with 14 wins while Punjab Kings have won the rest 11 games.

Dharamshala Stadium IPL Records:

In the only game played in IPL 2023 at this venue, pacers have picked six wickets while spinners have picked just one wicket Six out of ten games overall here have been won by teams batting first, and the rest four have been won by teams chasing. Batting first is preferred by teams winning the toss.

Strategy and Match-ups:

Both Yuzvendra Chahal and Ravichandran Ashwin have picked the PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan four times where Ashwin has leaked 92 runs in 109 balls while Chahal has given 109 runs in 81 balls. Chahal has also taken the wicket of Liam Livingstone once in 9 balls while giving away just 4 runs. Rahul Chahar has picked Jos Buttler twice in 26 balls while giving away 43 runs. Arshdeep Singh has a good match-up against Devdutt Padikkal, dismissing him twice in 27 balls, and has leaked 37 runs. This would tempt Shikhar Dhawan to bowl with Rahul Chahar right in the powerplay.

PBKS vs RR Highest and Lowest Totals Records:

PBKS highest total against RR is 223 while their lowest total is 124

RR’s Highest total against PBKS is 226 while their lowest total is 112

Top Players to Watch Out For:

Punjab Kings (PBKS):

Shikhar Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Arshdeep Singh

Rajasthan Royals (RR):

Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Yuzvendra Chahal

PBKS vs RR Full Squads:

Punjab Kings (PBKS) Full Squad:

Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Gurnoor Singh, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Baltej Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, and Mohit Rathe

Rajasthan Royals (RR) Full Squad:

Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa, Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Kunal Rathore, Adam Zampa, KM Asif, Murugan Ashwin, Akash Vashisht, Abdul PA, Joe Root.