The Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Punjab Kings (PBKS) will finally offer some cricketing action for fans after a long 10-day gap! The resumption of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 came yesterday but the RCB vs KKR game was entirely washed out, with the defending champions getting eliminated. Now, gear up for the RR vs PBKS clash, where Sanju Samson is making a return after more than a month.
Sanju Samson demotes himself to No. 3
Sanju Samson, who has had a topsy-turvy campaign, has been plagued with injuries. He initially played as an Impact Sub due to his finger fracture. Then, an abdominal injury put another halt, with Samson missing more games. This handed Vaibhav Suryavanshi a chance at the top order. The 14-year-old talent clubbed a historic 35-ball 100 in one of the IPL 2025 clashes against GT.
This has forced Samson to demote himself at number three, with Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal slated to open. Fascinatingly, Samson has a terrific record at number three. He’s most experienced at one down, having batted 92 innings, mustering 3,035 runs at 38.42 and at a strike rate of 143.63.
New debutant Mitchell Owen for PBKS
With the Aussie trio of Marcus Stoinis, Aaron Hardie and Josh Inglis unavailable, PBKS handed a debut to explosive Australian all-rounder Mitchell Owen. The Big Bash breakout star has had a dream 2024/25 season, amassing 452 runs at a staggering strike rate of 203.60. His inclusion bolsters an already aggressive batting unit, particularly against RR’s struggling pace attack. He is slated to bat up the order and can wreak havoc when on song.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) Playing XI
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh(w), Shreyas Iyer(c), Shashank Singh, Nehal Wadhera, Mitchell Owen, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Likely Impact Sub: Vijaykumar Vyshak/Harpreet Brar
Rajasthan Royals (RR) Playing XI
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Kwena Maphaka, Tushar Deshpande, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi
Likely Impact Sub: Kunal Rathore/Shubham Dubey
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