Ajinkya Rahane and R Ashwin both want to reopen the case that they have potential for the shorter formats as well. Although Virat Kohli said that IPL performances won’t be considered for World Cup selection, Rahane and Ashwin will be eager to change the captain’s mindset, as Rajasthan Royals (RR) and Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) will meet in the fourth game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2019, at Jaipur.
Teams
The English like to support RR as they are studded with their country’s top cricketers Stokes and Buttler.
Rajasthan Royals: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Smith, Sanju Samson, Ben Stokes, Rahul Tripathi, K Gowtham, Shreyas Gopal, Jofra Archer, Jaydev Unadkat, Varun Aaron/Dhawal Kulkarni
David Miller played the third and final T20I against Sri Lanka on Sunday and hence won’t be available for today’s match. Meanwhile, Andrew Tye is in the UAE for the ODI series against Pakistan.
Kings XI Punjab: Chris Gayle, KL Rahul (wk), Mayank Agarwal, Karun Nair, Nicholas Pooran, Mandeep Singh, R Ashwin (c), Sam Curran, Ankit Rajput, Mohammad Shami, Mujeeb Ur Rahman.
Fantasy team
We have opted for a fantasy cricket team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points. We have opted for a fantasy team on the basis of players’ impact, recent performances, and credit points.
My XI: Jos Buttler (wk), Steven Smith, Ajinkya Rahane, Chris Gayle (vc), Mayank Agarwal, Nicholas Pooran, Ben Stokes (c), R Ashwin, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Jaydev Unadkat, Mohammad Shami
Preview
All cameras and social media feeds will be on Steven Smith who is returning from a one-year ban. His teammate David Warner’s fifty on Sunday showed how hungry he is for runs. Expect no less, although at a lower strike rate, from Smith.
The Indian selectors will keep an eye on KL Rahul. He performed with distinction in the previous edition but couldn’t translate it at the international on consistent basis. However, there’s more than meets the eye. He will keep wickets. If he does a reasonable job, India do not have to carry either Dinesh Karthik or Rishabh as a backup wicketkeeper for MS Dhoni.
Nicholas Pooran and Chris Gayle will be the two Caribbean players. Pooran is yet to shine in the IPL, while Gayle is 6 runs shy from becoming the fastest to 4,000 IPL runs. A maximum to reach the milestone will add icing on the cake.
Mujeeb Ur Rahman will be the player to watch out for. He has been consistently picking wickets, be it in T20 leagues or at the international level. He makes a threatening spin pair with his captain Ashwin. However, the same cannot be said for RR’s K Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal, as they will be up against the might of Gayle, Rahul, Agarwal, among others who are good players of spin. That said, it is about getting your lines and lengths right. Even Ashwin and Mujeeb aren’t immune.
A lot of young pace batteries will be at work, but Mohammad Shami will hog the limelight. His recent form has been spectacular.
Also get to know the tips & tricks on how to play fantasy cricket.
