Indian T20 League 2022: Match 52- Punjab vs Rajasthan- Preview, Playing XIs, Pitch Report & Updates

With the race to the playoffs getting intensified, Rajasthan will take on Punjab in the 52nd match of the Indian T20 League 2022 to keep their hopes alove. Both the teams stand a chance to make it to the playoffs. While Rajasthan is in a more comfortable position in the points table (Third), Punjab is in seventh place with a 50% win ratio after 10 games. Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the first match of the doubleheader day on the 7th of May.

Team Updates

Punjab

Punjab, throughout the season, has been very shaky. They have never been able to carry their winning momentum for two games in a row this season. They are coming off a win in their last game against the table-toppers, Gujarat. In the next match, the men in red will look to get another win to have a better chance of making it to the playoffs. In the last game, Punjab had the most fronts covered. They did well with the bat and the ball as well.

However, captain Mayank Agarwal's performance will be a bit of a concern for them. Having played eight innings, Agarwal has only scored 161 runs. He will have to lead the team, along with keeping a focus on his game.

Players to watch out for

Shikhar Dhawan- Shikhar Dhawan has maintained consistency this season with 369 runs at an average of 46.12 in 10 matches. However, he has been a little slow in his approach. He has a strike rate of 124.66. He'd like to improve on that in the following games.

Liam Livingstone- Livingstone has been brilliant in the middle order and finishing the games for Punjab. At a strike rate of 186 this season, Livingstone has scored 293 runs in 10 matches. He would want to keep the momentum going in next game.

Probable Playing XI

Mayank Agarwal (c), Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow (wk), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma/ Harpreet Brar, Rishi Dhawan, Kagiso Rabada, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Sandeep Sharma

Rajasthan

The men in pink and blue have delivered outstanding performances this season, with the majority of the players contributing significantly to the team's success. Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal, however, have been doing the majority of the work for them. Other players like Shimron Hetmyer, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, and Sanju Samson have supported these two match-winners well.

After having a great run in the season, Rajasthan have lost their last two games against Mumbai and Kolkata. In the next game, they would want to perform better and get back to the winning ways. The Sanju Samson-led team might not want to make any changes to their team from the last game.

Players to watch out for

Jos Buttler- Having scored three centuries in the season, Buttler has been an outstanding player for the men in pink. He has scored runs in almost every game, which has always put Rajasthan in a good position. He has scored 588 runs in the 10 games that he has played.

Ravichandran Ashwin- This season, Ravichandran Ashwin has been a vital contributor. While he has only taken eight wickets this season, his economy rate of 7.1 has put batters under pressure, which has allowed Chahal to take wickets. With the wickets slowing down, he will an ace player for Rajasthan.

Probable Playing XI

Jos Buttler, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Karun Nair, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Kuldeep Sen

Head to Head

Pitch Report

The pitch at the Wankhede Stadium has produced some early swing early on. It has, however, slowed down slightly after a few overs, allowing spinners to dominate the game. The batters will have to take their time to settle in. The team winning the toss would want to bat first in the day game with dew not being a factor.

Match Details

Date- 7th May 2022

Time 3:30 p.m (IST)

Venue- Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai

Broadcast- Star Sports Network, Disney+ Hotstar