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

After losing their previous two matches against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Mumbai Indians (MI), Rajasthan Royals will now take on the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in their next group stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the iconic Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on May 7 (Saturday). To note, PBKS has won their previous match against the Gujarat Titans (GT).

RR is currently placed at third in the points table with six wins in ten matches and they have defeated some strong-looking teams including Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB), Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), and Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) among other teams. However, they have suffered defeats at the hands of MI, KKR, GT, and RCB.

As mentioned above, RR has now lost two back-to-back matches and will be keen to make a strong comeback in their next match. However, it won’t be easy against the strong-looking PBKS. Talking about the team composition, RR might want to bring in South African batter Rassie van der Dussen in their playing XI.

Here’s the predicted Playing XI of Rajasthan Royals for Match 52 of IPL 2022:

Openers: Jos Buttler & Devdutt Padikkal

England batter Jos Buttler has been in prolific form so far. However, in the last match against KKR, the right-handed batter managed to score just 22 runs from 25 balls before getting scalped by the Kiwi pacer Tim Southee. Buttler would wish to continue his excellent batting performance against the bowling line-up of PBKS.

The left-handed batter Devdutt Padikkal has been in poor form in IPL 2022. He also failed to get going against the two-time champions KKR in the previous match. If he fails to perform in the next match, the RR management might want to replace the batter with another player warming the benches.

Middle-Order: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer

Skipper Sanju Samson has played an excellent knock of 54 runs against the Men in Purple in the previous match. However, he could not get going to make it into a big one. The 27-year-old will look to emulate his performance in the upcoming match and will also try to win a game for his team.

Indian batter Karun Nair managed to score only 13 runs against KKR and might be replaced with South African batter Rassie van der Dussen in the playing XI. Meanwhile, Shimron Hetmyer is continuing to play some vital knocks for the former champions and would look to continue his good form with the bat.

All-rounders: Riyan Parag and Ravichandran Ashwin

Riyan Parag was able to bring up his first IPL half-century this season as he slammed an unbeaten 56 against the RCB, he continued his good form and played a short but sweet knock of 19 runs in the last match against KKR. The right-handed batter stroked one four and two maximums against the Men in Purple.

Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the most successful purchases for the Royals and has even batted at the top order for the team. His tactics with the bat, as well as the ball have been excellent so far and the veteran player will look to continue his performance against PBKS.

Bowlers: Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Kuldeep Sen

The Kiwi pacer Trent Boult has provided some early breakthroughs for his side in IPL 2022. However, he has not been much effective during the death overs. Similarly, pacer Prasidh Krishna has also been excellent with the new ball but has not been much potent towards the death overs.

Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in the tournament with 19 wickets in ten matches so far. On the other hand, pacer Kuldeep Sen scalped one wicket against the two-time champions. However, he gave away 28 runs in 3.1 overs and would wish to put up an improved performance in the next match.

RR’s Predicted Playing XI for the PBKS clash: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair/Rassie van der Dussen, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen.