Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab: Preview, head-to-head and Fantasy-XI
What's the story
Struggling Rajasthan Royals will be welcoming a resurgent Kings XI Punjab in Jaipur for match number 40 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2018. A defeat for bottom-placed RR will virtually end their campaign, whereas a win for KXIP would almost guarantee them a place in the play-offs. Here we look at the head-to-head, pitch report, probable playing XI and Fantasy XI.
Big battle
KXIP closing in on head-to-head record
In the previous game just days back, Royals were humiliated in Indore as KXIP raced to a six-wicket victory. The two teams have met 16 times with RR winning nine and KXIP bagging seven games. In Jaipur, the two sides have faced each other 4 times and the Royals have won all four. With KXIP in sound form, expect them to clinch this one.
Personal
Probable Playing XI - Rajasthan Royals
Jos Buttler (wicket-keeper), Ajinkya Rahane (captain), D'Arcy Short, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, K Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Shreyas Gopal, Dhawal Kulkarni and Jaydev Unadkat.
Personal
Probable Playing XI - Kings XI Punjab
Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (wicket-keeper), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Marcus Stoinis, Manoj Tiwary, Axar Patel, R Ashwin (captain), Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Andrew Tye and Ankit Rajpoot.
Tough wicket
160 a par total for team batting first
The average first innings score at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium has been 158 in the four matches played here this season. Having said that, only 32 sixes have been hit in these four games. The pitch isn't that suitable for batting freely and one needs to have patience to bat till the end. The weather is expected to be on the hotter side.
Numbers game
RR vs KXIP - Stat box
Chris Gayle needs just 64 runs to score 4,000 runs in IPL. He is line to become the seventh player overall and only the second foreign star after David Warner to reach the feat. Royals have taken only 43 wickets this season, which is the lowest amongst all teams. Apart from Gayle and Rahul, only one KXIP batsman has a fifty this term (Nair).
Dream XI team
Fantasy XI - Gayle, Rahul as leaders
Chris Gayle is our choice as captain and in-form KL Rahul gets the nod as vice-captain. He is also the wicket-keeper. D'Arcy Short, Karun Nair and Sanju Samson are the other three batsmen in the team. We go with three all-rounders in Ben Stokes, Marcus Stoinis and Krishnappa Gowtham. In the bowling department, Ankit Rajpoot and Mujeeb Ur Rahman are joined by Jofra Archer.