IPL 2021 RR vs PBKS Preview

IPL 2021, Match 04, April 12th RR vs PBKS, Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai. Preview RR vs PBKS in IPL 2021, head to head player stats, records of both Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings at this venue plus the best Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS.

RR vs PBKS head to head player stats

RR bowling vs PBKS batting

The big loss for Rajasthan Royals and indeed IPL 2021 and it’s fans is the news that last season’s MVP, Jofra Archer, is likely to miss most if not all of this year’s tournament. His head to head match up against this much vaunted PBKS top order would have been a sight to behold but c’est la vie, there is always next year.

It does however raise the serious question as to how the Royals will fill the Archer shaped hole in their bowling line-up? They certainly invested plenty during the auction on fast bowlers but that was more aimed at strengthening their options at the death and allowing Archer to be deployed in the powerplay.

Andrew Tye would appear to have the best record of any of the candidates at least in the powerplay but it’s worth considering that since he won the purple cap back in IPL 2018 his career has been blighted by injury and while he has always had a variety of change ups and slower balls at his disposal, age and body have cut down his pace as a whole meaning he’s not a like for like swap for Archer at the top of the order.

The one match up in the Royals favour at the top of the order is that of Chris Morris vs Chris Gayle.

Otherwise, it’s tempting to say that the Punjab Kings are unlikely to be troubled by many of the options that RR have remaining. While they do have a couple of left-armers to call upon in Unadkat and Rahman (who is likely to be unavailable for this match) both KL Rahul and Chris Gayle average well above 50 vs LFM and have treated Unadkat with distain in the past. If Unadkat does start for the Royals then that is definitely a match-up to watch for!

As we can see above, RR do sometimes deploy Shreyas Gopal in the Powerplay but to do so in this fixture would be a high risk move particularly as Mayank Agarwal is likely to go after any slow bowling in the first 6 overs.

The other big concern for the Royals has to be the lack of finger spin options in their side. They are stacked full of wrist spinners in Gopal, Tewatia, Markande and a couple of others and have the part-time slow left-arm of Lomror if he plays but they don’t have a single right-arm off-spinner. Against a side with 2 big hitting left-handers in Pooran and Gayle that could prove very costly!

PBKS bowling vs RR batting

Again, we begin our focus on the powerplay bowling options for the Punjab Kings which last season was a real problem for them. Here are the IPL career records of their bowlers in the first 6 overs which are pretty dreadful.

Reinforcements have arrived by way of Australia in the form of Riley Meredith and Jhye Richardson. One or both may play in this fixture depending on how the Kings opt to use their overseas quota and they do offer an extra dimension to their bowling attack that was sorely missed last year.

They’ll be up against a Royals top order that is full of talent in the form of Buttler, Samson and Stokes. The interesting thing to see will be exactly where these 3 bat and who ends up opening for the Royals.

If the Royals get through that initial onslaught then I’d expect to see their top order target the likes of Ashwin and Bishnoi and as I’ve noted in the PBKS season preview, there is a real lack of all-round options for the Kings this season so if any side can take down 1 or 2 of their primary bowlers then KL Rahul is likely to find himself in a difficult position.

RR stats at the Wankhede Stadium

Jos Buttler knows this venue well from his time at Mumbai Indians while Sanju Samson averages just shy of 37 at the Wankhede compared to a career average of 27. Watch one of his top innings vs MI here

The Royals are in desperate need of a big season from their new captain whose talent is almost unparalleled in the IPL but who tends to blow a bit hot and cold. For his and his team’s sake, a fast start here is crucial.

Bowling wise, quite a few of Rajasthan’s players have impressive records at the Wankhede Stadium. Ben Stokes has 4 wickets at an average of 12 and economy under 6 on this pitch while Andrew Tye has been nothing short of lethal on this previous couple of visits here.

PBKS stats at the Wankhede Stadium

Both KL Rahul and Chris Gayle have good records at this venue but it is the former that has put up some really big numbers on his previous visits to the Wankhede including this century from 2019

KL Rahul had a torrid time for India during the T20 series vs England but looked to be rediscovering the form that saw him win the Orange Cap last year during the ODI’s that followed. PBKS will need their seasoned pros like Rahul and fast bowler Mohammed Shami to step up if they are to break their run of failing to qualify for the IPL playoffs. Shami too has a good record here at the Wankhede stadium as shown below.

Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS

Based on the above our best Dream11 predictions for RR vs PBKS are as follows.

Rajasthan’s lack of penetration up front is a cause for concern and they come up against one of the best opening partnerships in the IPL which includes a KL Rahul who is both returning to form and has a very good record at this venue. Therefore KL Rahul seems like a good pick for your Dream11 team for RR vs PBKS and possibly as captain.

The spinners on both sides will be put under pressure at a venue where they can sometimes travel the distance so picks of Andrew Tye who at the rate at which Rajasthan Royals bowlers are becoming unavailable looks increasingly likely to start and who has a good record here seems a decent selection for Dream11 teams. Equally Mohammed Shami’s prior record here suggests he enjoys the quicker surface and he will surely lead this relatively young PBKS bowling attack once again.

Elsewhere big hitting overseas stars Ben Stokes and Nicolas Pooran all have indicators that suggest they can have a positive impact on the result of this match and should be considered as strong predictions for Dream11 RR vs PBKS. Finally captain of the Royals Sanju Sampson will surely be keen to get off to a winning start and build on his previous good record at the Wankhede.

KL Rahul – Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS

Ben Stokes – Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS

Sanju Sampson – Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS

Mohammed Shami – Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS

Andrew Tye – Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS

Nicolas Pooran – Dream11 predictions RR vs PBKS