PBKS vs RR IPL 2023

Jaiswal, Padikkal and Hetmyer’s cameos help RR beat PBKS by 4 wickets

IPL 2023 highlights, PBKS vs RR Match Today: In a virtual quarter-final Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals would be looking to get the two points and hoping other results would go their way.

In Friday’s encounter, these two inconsistent teams will see seek to leverage their respective strengths. Despite their fluctuating performance throughout the season, the Rajasthan Royals hold a favourable position with a superior net run rate compared to the Punjab Kings.

However, both teams will also depend on other match outcome to determine their playoff fate.

The pace department has been guilty of leaking too many runs in both the powerplay and death overs. With the likes of Kagiso Rabada, Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh conceding close to 10 runs per over, the team is bound to feel the pressure.
Today’s match at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association Stadium in Dharamsala will witness an exciting clash between Sanju Samson’s Rajasthan Royals and Shikhar Dhawan’s Punjab Kings. With both teams vying for playoff qualification, the game is set to be a thrilling spectacle.

Punjab Kings, coming off a loss against Delhi Capitals at the same venue, are eager to secure a victory and rely on other results to work in their favor. Captain Dhawan, who had a strong start to the tournament, will be crucial in stabilizing the team’s batting order. However, star bowlers Arshdeep Singh and Sam Curran have been struggling recently, adding to the challenges faced by the hosts. To overcome the Rajasthan Royals, Punjab Kings will need their key players to step up.

On the other hand, the Rajasthan Royals suffered a heavy defeat at the hands of Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous match. Nevertheless, they have had time to regroup and approach the game with a fresh mindset. The team will be determined to overcome their mid-season slump and secure two valuable points. The Royals’ batting lineup, apart from Yashasvi Jaiswal, has been a concern. Contributions from players like Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, and Shimron Hetmyer will be crucial for the team’s survival in the tournament, especially on a batting-friendly pitch.

Shikhar Dhawan: We lost too many wickets in the powerplay and that put us on the backfoot, but Curran, Jitesh and Shahrukh got us back in the game, the bowling was good (in patches), but the fielding wasn’t great, the dropped catches cost us the game. I feel 200 should have been a good total on this pitch. We could have done better in all the areas I think. Sometimes the batting was clicking, and sometimes the bowling was clicking, we couldn’t get put those performances together. But it’s a young group, so we have learnt a lot of things this season. I knew I had to take the game deep, so I wanted my best bowlers to bowl early, so Rahul had to bowl the last over. In the last game I gave Harpreet the final over, it depends on the surface and the situation.