The inaugural IPL champions Rajasthan Royals (RR) will host Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Match 4 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, March 24. The Royals under Sanju Samson's leadership had a topsy-turvy campaign last season as they finished fifth in the IPL 2023 standings with seven wins and as many losses. On the other hand, the KL Rahul-led LSG will once again aim to reach the playoffs after finishing third in the IPL 2023 standings with eight wins and five losses. Ahead of a crunch game in Jaipur, we look at the predicted XIs of both sides.
RR Predicted XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal
Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in sublime touch since his international debut last year. The southpaw smashed 625 runs in 14 matches at an impressive strike rate of 163.61 in IPL 2023. Jaiswal is among the top contenders to win the Orange Cap this season.
Jos Buttler
One of the best T20 batters in the world, Jos Buttler had a dream IPL season for RR in 2022. England's white-ball captain amassed 863 runs in 17 matches at an average of 57.53. Buttler also equalled Virat Kohli's record of smashing four centuries in an IPL season. He could once again be the X-factor for Rajasthan this season.
Sanju Samson (captain & wicketkeeper)
Captain Sanju Samson has been a regular name among the highest run-getters every IPL season. Samson has already accumulated over 3,800 runs in 152 IPL matches at a decent strike rate of 137.19.
Shimron Hetmyer
Shimron Hetmyer has been going through a lean patch with the bat this year. Overall, the Caribbean hard-hitter has scored 3924 runs in 202 T20 games at a strike rate of 133.56 to date.
Dhruv Jurel
Dhruv Jurel was one of the shining lights last year for RR. With his hard-hitting abilities in the slog overs, Jurel scored 152 runs in 11 innings at an impressive strike rate of 172.72 last season.
Rovman Powell
West Indies T20I captain Rovman Powell was roped in by the Royals for INR 7.40 crore at the mini-auction in December 2023. So far, Powell has scored 3,786 runs in 209 T20 matches at a strike rate of 139.39.
Riyan Parag
Riyan Parag has been a regular starter for RR since his IPL debut in 2019. Notably, he ended up as the highest run-getter in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2024, scoring 510 runs in 10 innings.
Ravichandran Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin has been one of the biggest match-winners for India in the last decade. In 197 IPL games, he has picked up 171 wickets at an economy rate of seven.
Trent Boult
Trent Boult was the driving force for RR in the powerplay overs in IPL 2022. Boult has taken 105 wickets in 88 IPL matches at an economy of 8.29 till date.
Yuzvendra Chahal
Yuzvendra Chahal is the current highest wicket-taker in the IPL. The leg spinner has scalped 187 wickets in 145 IPL games at an impressive economy of 7.67.
Avesh Khan
Avesh Khan was traded in by the Royals through the trading window ahead of the mini-auction last year. The Indore-born pacer has played 47 IPL matches and bagged 55 wickets so far.
Impact Sub
Navdeep Saini/Kuldeep Sen
LSG Predicted XI
Quinton de Kock (wicketkeeper)
Quinton de Kock is among the prominent overseas players in the IPL. The Proteas wicketkeeper-batter has scored more than 9,300 T20 runs in over 300 matches so far.
Devdutt Padikkal
Devdutt Padikkal has been one of the standout players for Karnataka in domestic cricket since 2020. The southpaw was traded in by LSG through the trading window considering he has accumulated 1,521 runs in 57 IPL matches so far.
Deepak Hooda
Deepak Hooda is a spin-bowling all-rounder who can bat in any position. He had a breakthrough IPL season in 2022 when he slammed 451 runs in 14 innings at a strike rate of 136.66.
KL Rahul (captain)
Since his debut in 2013, KL Rahul has been among the top run-getters in the IPL. After missing out on a part of the IPL 2023 season, Rahul will be gearing up a wonderful campaign this year. So far, the Karnataka batter has scored 4,163 runs in 118 IPL games.
Nicholas Pooran
Nicholas Pooran had his best IPL season last year having scored 358 runs in 15 matches at a whacking strike rate of 173. Overall, Pooran has scored over 6,500 runs in 315 T20 matches.
Marcus Stoinis
Australian all-rounder Marcus Stoinis was the highest run-getter for LSG in IPL 2023. Stoinis clobbered 408 runs in 15 matches at an impressive strike rate of 150. Hopefully, this season he can contribute with the ball as well.
Ayush Badoni
After a couple of decent domestic seasons, Ayush Badoni made a surprising IPL debut in 2022 for LSG. So far, the 24-year-old has scored 399 runs in 28 IPL matches at a strike rate of 132.
Krunal Pandya
Krunal Pandya was named captain soon after KL Rahul was ruled out of the IPL 2023 with injury. So far, Krunal has played 113 IPL matches with over 1,500 runs and also picked 70 wickets.
Shivam Mavi
Shivam Mavi was an important member of the Indian team that lifted the 2018 ICC U19 World Cup. The fast-bowling all-rounder has so far played 32 IPL matches picking up 30 wickets at an economy of 8.71.
Ravi Bishnoi
Ravi Bishnoi has been a prominent name in the LSG squad since the franchise's IPL debut. He was the highest wicket-taker for Lucknow in IPL 2023 taking 16 wickets in 15 matches at an impressive economy of 7.74.
Naveen-ul-Haq
Afghanistan pacer Naveen-ul-Haq has taken over 200 wickets in 170 T20 matches at an economy of 8.20 so far. He played a pivotal role in LSG's success last year.
Impact Sub
Amit Mishra/Yash Thakur