With the playoffs in sight, Punjab Kings head into a crucial encounter against Rajasthan Royals at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. Sitting third on the points table with 15 points from 11 matches, Punjab have gained momentum at the right time in the tournament.


Skipper Shreyas Iyer has led from the front as the Kings have found a rhythm both in batting and bowling. Prabhsimran Singh, the team’s top scorer, has struck consecutive half-centuries, while Priyansh Arya has added spark at the top with his aggressive stroke play. On the bowling front, Arshdeep Singh has been a standout performer, collecting 16 wickets — currently the fourth-highest in the competition.


What to Expect from the Pitch?
The surface at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium has traditionally offered good balance between bat and ball. The average first-innings score in the last 10 matches here stands at 178 runs. Teams chasing have had a slight edge, winning 60% of those games. Bowling first is typically considered advantageous on this pitch.


Head-to-Head Battle :
Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings have faced off 29 times in T20 history. Rajasthan hold a narrow edge with 17 wins, while Punjab have won 12 matches. One contest ended in a tie. In their last meeting this season, Rajasthan Royals won by 50 runs. Across the previous five T20 meetings, Rajasthan have won three, with Punjab claiming two victories.


Rajasthan Royals Squad : Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, Wanindu Hasaranga, Yudhvir Singh, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Kunal Singh Rathore (wk), Lhuan-dre Pretorius (wk), Sanju Samson (c & wk), Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Jofra Archer, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Nandre Burger and Tushar Deshpande.


Punjab Kings Squad : Harnoor Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Shashank Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Aaron Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Marcus Stoinis, Mitchell Owen, Musheer Khan, Suryansh Shedge, Josh Inglis (wk), Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Vishnu Vinod (wk), Arshdeep Singh, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Praveen Dubey, Kyle Jamieson, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Yash Thakur and Yuzvendra Chahal.