Our boys will host Rajasthan Royals (RR) in our final league match of TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 at the Himachal Pradesh Cricket Association (HPCA) Stadium in Dharamshala on May 19.
Both teams have 12 points from 13 matches and are in a must-win situation to maintain their hopes for a spot in the playoffs.
Let’s look at some stats and numbers ahead of the decisive clash:
PBKS vs RR Head-to-Head:
Our team registered a nail-biting five-run win over Rajasthan Royals in the reverse fixture played earlier this season.
Overall, we have won 11 of 25 matches against RR in the TATA IPL.
| Competition | Total Matches | Won by PBKS | Won by DC |
| Overall | 25 | 11 | 14 |
| At Dharamshala | Yet to be played | ||
Shikhar-Prabhsimran’s Opening Partnership:
Shikhar Dhawan and Prabhsimran Singh have the second-best strike rate amongst teams this season. The swashbuckling openers have batted with an impressive strike rate of 145.
Best Strike Rate of Openers in TATA IPL 2023
| Teams | Strike Rate | Balls/Boundary |
| Rajasthan Royals | 154 | 4.0 |
| Punjab Kings | 145 | 4.2 |
| Royal Challengers Bangalore | 144 | 5.6 |
| Gujarat Titans | 142 | 5.1 |
| Mumbai Indians | 140 | 4.5 |
Furthermore, Dhawan and Prabhsimran hit fifty each in our previous meeting against RR.
Both batters have provided quick-fire starts in the powerplay this year.
Our openers in powerplay
| Shikhar Dhawan | Prabhsimran Singh | |
| 10 | Innings | 13 |
| 142 | Runs | 217 |
| 137 | Strike Rate | 143 |
| 4.0 | Balls/Boundary | 3.9 |
Liam Livingstone Dazzles:
Liam Livingstone has continued his rich vein of form. He recorded his highest score of 94 runs in our last match against DC. He clobbered nine sixes while falling short of his maiden hundred by just six runs.
The 29-year-old has amassed 270 runs in eight innings at a strike rate of 170.88. The England cricketer has scored the second-most runs (703) in the middle overs of the marque T20 event since 2022.
Most runs by Middle Order Batters Since 2022
| Player | Runs | 50s |
| David Miller | 730 | 2 |
| Liam Livingstone | 703 | 6 |
| Tilak Varma | 624 | 3 |
| Nicholas Pooran | 606 | 3 |
| Aiden Markram | 588 | 4 |
Since joining our franchise in 2022, Livingstone has had the best strike rate among all batters.
| Player | Strike Rate |
| Liam Livingstone | 178 |
| Glenn Maxwell | 177 |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 169 |
| Andre Russell | 164 |
| Shivam Dube | 157 |
Livingstone has dominated fast bowlers this season. He has scored 210 runs against pacers, out of which 80% of the runs have been in boundaries.
| V Pace | V Spin | |
| 210 | Runs | 60 |
| 80 | % of Runs in Boundary | 37 |
| 216 | Strike Rate | 98 |
| 2.9 | Balls/Boundary | 12.2 |
Livingstone has the second-best strike rate against pacers.
| Player | Strike Rate |
| Suryakumar Yadav | 223 |
| Liam Livingstone | 216 |
| Faf du Plessis | 178 |
| Yashavi Jaiswal | 172 |
| Rinku Singh | 166 |
Arshdeep Singh’s Brilliant Record vs RR:
Our left-arm pacer, Arshdeep Singh, has scalped the second-most wickets against RR. The 24-year-old has bagged 14 wickets in six innings so far. He also picked up two wickets in the reverse fixture.
Most wickets vs RR in TATA IPL
| Player | Innings | Wickets | Economy |
| Mohammed Shami | 11 | 17 | 9.0 |
| Arshdeep Singh | 6 | 14 | 9.6 |
| Jasprit Bumrah | 8 | 13 | 5.5 |
Some More Interesting Numbers:
- → Jitesh Sharma is 1 run away from 500 runs in TATA IPL.
- → Shikhar Dhawan is six fours away from 100 fours for PBKS in TATA IPL.
- → Atharva Taide is 92 runs away from 1000 runs in T20s.
