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The final two teams will kick off their IPL 2021 campaign on Monday when Rajasthan Royals (RR) face the Punjab Kings (PBKS) in Mumbai. Both teams missed out on the playoffs last year and will look to start their IPL 2021 campaign with a win.
Rajasthan Royals suffered the ignominy of a wooden spoon finish last year, failing to kick on after winning their first two games in 2020. The Royals chopped and changed their lineup throughout 2020, and couldn’t settle on an ideal playing eleven.
The end result was a forgettable campaign, which has prompted an overhaul for the Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2021. Sanju Samson has been made skipper, while Sri Lanka legend Kumar Sangakkara arrives as Director of Cricket. The Royals hope the change in the leadership structure will bring about a change in fortunes as they look to make the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
Another team that has undergone a transformation are Punjab Kings, who are taking on a new name this season. A sixth-place finish in 2020 doesn’t reveal the full story. The Kings won just one of their first seven games last season before going on a thrilling five-match winning run that catapulted them into playoff contention.
But KL Rahul’s men fluttered at the final stage, losing their last two games and missing out on the playoffs again. Punjab Kings will hope a change in name and team colors brings them some fortune, as they target a first playoff appearance since 2014.
IPL 2021: RR vs PBKS Match Prediction
Both sides are a bit of an unknown quantity in IPL 2021, considering it is unclear how they will line up this season.
Rajasthan Royals have been hit hard by the absence of Jofra Archer, who was brilliant for them last year. Chris Morris will be the frontline pacer in his absence and will get support from Kartik Tyagi and one from Andrew Tye or Mustafizur Rahman.
The Royals are rumored to open with Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes. A top-three of Stokes, Buttler and Samson sounds menacing but leaves a big hole in the middle-order. Whether players like Shivam Dube, Mahipal Lomror and Riyan Parag can step up this season remains to be seen.
Another combination could see them field Liam Livingstone in the middle-order, but that means going in with Indian pacers to support Chris Morris.
Punjab Kings have a huge call to make ahead of their first IPL 2021 game as well. Despite a solid auction, they have failed to address the issues which plagued them last season. Their bowlers don’t bowl and the batsmen don’t bat, and Punjab Kings will have to get their combination right quickly if they want to have a solid IPL.
The top four of KL Rahul, Mayank, Gayle and Pooran is one of the best in IPL 2021 and they are expected to do the bulk of the scoring. Tamil Nadu star Shahrukh Khan will don the finisher’s hat in his debut IPL campaign and a lot will depend on the 25-year-old this season.
Punjab Kings did well to get Moises Henriques, which helped them solve their middle-order conundrum. But playing him means PBKS can play only one of Riley Meredith or Jhye Richardson. It also remains to be seen whether the team will go in with two spinners on a flat Mumbai track. Punjab Kings could start their IPL 2021 campaign with just one of Murugan Ashwin and Ravi Bishnoi in the playing eleven.
Irrespective of the team combination, expect the IPL 2021 fixture to be full of runs in the Powerplay and at the death. The two IPL sides topped the charts for the worst economy rates in the powerplay last season. They also had a death-overs economy rate of more than 11 in 2020.
Punjab Kings’ all-star top-order, combined with the presence of proven IPL stars like Mohammed Shami, makes them the favourites for this one. The Wankhede pitch suits them more as well, and expect them to start their IPL 2021 campaign with a win.
Rajasthan Royals have a solid outfit and may end up doing well this season. But Sanju Samson’s men may take some time to get used to Archer’s absence, which means they start their IPL 2021 campaign on the backfoot.
Prediction: PBKS to win
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