IPL 2021: RR vs PBKS: Match 4, Match Prediction – Who will win today’s match?

Preview

Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Punjab Kings (PBKS) are set to cross swords in the fourth match of the 2021 IPL at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Both teams have flattered to deceive in recent years and would be desperate to make a winning start.

The Royals’ bowling unit isn’t full-strength as Jofra Archer is recovering from a hand injury while Mustafizur Rahman won’t be available for the first game. However, the Royals can take heart from the fact that on the head-to-head, count, they are leading the Punjab-based team by 12-9.

As far as PBKS is concerned, they roped in ICC’s no.1 ranked T20I batsman, Dawid Malan, but their bowling seems to lack a bit of experience. Both Punjab and Rajasthan are equally matched and a competitive game seems to be in the offing on Monday.

Match Details

Match – Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings – 4th match

Venue – Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Time – 7:30 PM IST, 02:00 PM GMT

Where to watch live – Star Sports Network, Hotstar

Pitch Report

The pitch in Mumbai has been a batsman’s paradise and a bowler’s graveyard. The fact that dew is expected to play a part will make bowling an arduous task. Hence, batting second should be the way forward. The pacers are likely to get some assistance from the surface. The playing conditions would be clear with the temperature around 31 degrees Celsius. The humidity will mostly be in the 40s.

Avg first innings score: 177 (Last 8 IPL T20s at the Wankhede)

Record of chasing teams: Won – 5, Lost – 2, Tied – 1

Probable Playing XIs:

Rajasthan Royals

Ben Stokes, Yashasvi Jaiswal/Liam Livingstone, Sanju Samson (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Riyan Parag, Shivam Dube, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Shreyas Gopal, Andrew Tye/Jaydev Unadkat, Kartik Tyagi

Bench: Liam Livingstone/Yashasvi Jaiswal, Manan Vohra, David Miller, Mahipal Lomror, Jaydev Unadkat/Andrew Tye, Anuj Rawat, Akash Singh, Chetan Sakariya, Jofra Archer, Mustafizur Rahman, KC Cariappa, Mayank Markande, Kuldip Yadav

Punjab Kings

Mayank Agarwal, KL Rahul (C and WK), Chris Gayle/Dawid Malan, Nicholas Pooran, Sarfaraz Khan/Deepak Hooda, Mandeep Singh/Shahrukh Khan, Chris Jordan/Fabian Allen, Jhye Richardson/Riley Meredith, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammed Shami

Bench: Mandeep Singh/Shahrukh Khan, Murugan Ashwin, Dawid Malan/Chris Gayle, Deepak Hooda/Sarfaraz Khan, Moises Henriques, Jalaj Saxena, Fabian Allen/Chris Jordan, Harpreet Brar, Saurabh Kumar, Prabhsimran Singh, Utkarsh Singh, Ishan Porel, Riley Meredith/Jhye Richardson, Darshan Nalkande

Head-to-Head

Overall

Played – 21 | Rajasthan Royals– 12 | Punjab Kings – 9 |N/R – 0

At neutral venues

Played – 8 | Rajasthan Royals – 4 | Punjab Kings – 4 |N/R – 0

Probable best batsman of the match

KL Rahul- Punjab Kings

KL Rahul, the Orange Cap holder of IPL 2020, has a decent record against PBKS. In nine games against them, he has notched 390 runs at an average and strike rate of 55.71 and 125.40 respectively. The right-hander has also scored four fifties against them with a top score of an unbeaten 95. In the 2019 edition of the tournament, he also got a century in Mumbai.

Probable best bowler of the match

Chris Morris– Rajasthan Royals

Chris Morris set to make his debut for the Royals and he is expected to lead their bowling attack in the first game. Against Punjab, the speedster has bowled 40 overs in which he has picked up 13 wickets with best figures of 3/23 and a decent economy rate of 6.88. Not to forget that Morris can be more than handy with the bat in hand and can churn out some lusty blows in need.

Today’s match prediction: Rajasthan to win the match.

Scenario 1

Toss: Punjab win the toss and bowl

Powerplay score – 60-65

First innings score – 190-210

Result – Rajasthan win the match

Scenario 2

Toss – Rajasthan win the toss and bowl

Powerplay score – 55-60

First innings score – 180-200

Result – Rajasthan win the match

Disclaimer: This prediction is based on the understanding, analysis, and instinct of the author. While making your prediction, consider the points mentioned, and make your own decision.