NEWS
Follow UsPunjab Kings (PBKS) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 52 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday (May 7). Punjab are in the sixth position in the IPL 2022 table, while RR are in third with 12 points from 10 matches. A win in this game for either side would be a step in the right direction in their bid to make it to the playoffs.
The two teams have met 23 times in the IPL with RR having the upper hand having won 13, while PBKS have won 10. Even in the last five games, it is RR who have a slender 3-2 advantage.
IPL head-to-head
Overall: Matches 23 | RR 13 wins | PBKS 10 wins
Last 5 matches: RR 3 wins | PBKS 2 wins
Ground details
The pacers have ruled the roost thus far at the Wankhede, having picked up over 72% of the wickets. While their economy rate (8.8) is slightly higher than the spinners (7.8), they have fared well when it comes to the runs per wicket (29.2) and balls per wicket ratio (19.8).
The spinners, on the other hand, are slowly getting into the contest with the wear and tear on the pitches, but they have struck every 37.8 deliveries, 29.2 deliveries apart.
Suggested team
While you could go with the above team, check out the Fantasy Research Centre for more tips.
Captain
With two centuries and a fifty in his last five innings, Jos Buttler has to be on top of the list when it comes to leading your fantasy team. He is not just the leading run-getter in IPL 2022 with 588 runs at a strike-rate of 150.76, which includes three fifties and three centuries, he also has the most runs at the Wankhede this season having hit 221 runs, with a highest score of 116. RR will hope Buttler will continue his good form in this match.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Buttler could score 30-44 runs in this match
X-Factors
With his opening partners not having done anything worthwhile, the onus has been on Shikhar Dhawan to get the team off to a good start. The southpaw has scored 369 runs at 46.12, which includes three fifties from this 10 innings so far – two of which have come in the last three innings. Only KL Rahul (1,747) has scored more runs than Dhawan (1,574) since IPL 2020, making him one of the most consistent players in the league over the last three seasons.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Dhawan could score 32-48 runs in this match
While the pacers have picked up a high percentage of wickets at the Wankhede this season, it would be unwise if you do not pick Yuzvendra Chahal – the leading wicket-taker in the IPL this season. Only Umesh Yadav (10) has picked up more wickets than Chahal (7) at the Wankhede Stadium, getting them at an average of 16.4 and strike-rate of 13.7 – both good numbers. Moreover, the leg-spinners have the highest share of wickets (10.56%) at this venue after the pacers.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Chahal could pick up 0-1 runs in this match
Kagiso Rabada has picked up 10 wickets from his last three matches and PBKS would look to cash in on him in this must-win game. Rabada has been among the best bowlers in the league in the powerplay (7 wickets, econ 8.1) and also at the death (7 wickets, econ 8.4). PBKS will hope that the South Africa pacer continues his good form into this game as they search for back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Our Criclytics Player Projector predicts Rabada could pick up 2-3 runs in this match
Here are the top picks as per Criclytics projections:
Probable XIs:
Punjab Kings: Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen
