Punjab Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in match number 8 of IPL 2023. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side gave an indication of its immense firepower with both the bat and the ball in their seven-run DLS win against Kolkata Knight Riders at Mohali. This means that the game on Wednesday promises to give the spectators in Guwahati good value for money. PBKS are going to find a really tough opponent in RR, who have some quality batting and bowling attacks at their disposal.
While the experience of top-order India batter Dhawan will come in handy along with the bowling prowess of young left-arm India pacer Arshdeep Singh, the team would be eagerly awaiting the return of England power-hitter Liam Livingstone, who missed the opener against KKR after not getting the fitness clearance from the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). The batter had suffered a knee injury in December last year.
The English pair of Livingstone and pace bowling all-rounder Sam Curran -- the most expensive buy ever in IPL history at Rs 18.50 crore -- could be PBKS' trump card this season along with the lanky left-arm quick Arshdeep.
By the time Livingstone is unavailable to play, Sikandar Raza has got a golden opportunity to cement his place in the playing XI. On the other hand, Bhanuka Rajapaksa got off to a superb start to the season with an impactful half-century and PBKS would bank more on the player to see him keep going like that.
Punjab Kings Predicted XI vs Rajasthan Royals:
Shikhar Dhawan (c), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Sikandar Raza, Nathan Ellis, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh
(With PTI Inputs)