Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2023 IPL
Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings in Match 8 of the 2023 Indian Premier League.
The match is taking place on Wednesday 5 April, getting underway at 7:30 local time (3pm BST).
The match will be played at the Barspara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati, Assam.
Both sides made dominant starts in their openers, posting huge totals and defending them comfortably.
Punjab Kings set Kolkata Knight Riders 191 and reduced them to 146 for 7 when weather intervened at the end of the 16th. DLS saw Kings win by seven runs, but with just three wickets in hand and a required run rate of 9.5, KKR were well behind the eight-ball.
PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan (40 from 29) and Sri Lankan Bhanuka Rajapaksa (50 from 32) had earlier put on a fluent second-wicket stand of 86 before T20 World Cup final player of the tournament Sam Curran struck two sixes at the death to garnish the innings.
Arshdeep Singh continued his excellent international form, taking 3 for 19 from three overs and removing three of KKR's top four. The remaining four wickets were shared between four bowlers, ensuring both departments are on song ahead of tomorrow’s clash.
Arguably, Rajasthan Royals had an even better start, sweeping Sunrisers Hyderabad aside by 72 runs. 2022 IPL MVP and Orange Cap winner Jos Buttler hammered a typical 20-ball fifty as he and 21-year old left-hander Yashasvi Jaiswal (54 from 37) took 85 from the powerplay.
Captain Sanju Samson stroked 55 from 32 balls before Shimron Hetmyer powered Royals to 203 in the final over. Trent Boult (2 for 21) and Yuzvendra Chahal (4 for 17) then made light work of Sunrisers' lineup, Boult cleaning up Abhishek Sharma's stumps third ball of the innings with a devastating yorker.
Sunrisers could only manage 131 for 8 from their 20 overs, leaving last year's runners-up top of the table.
Jos Buttler is key for Rajasthan (Image: IPL)
After convincing victories, there is little need for changes in either camp.
But Punjab may be tempted to bring the explosive Liam Livingstone, who should have clearance after a knee injury, into the middle order to counteract spin twins Ravichandran Ashwin and Chahal.
Prasidh Krishna (lumbar stress fracture) remains sidelined for Royals and has been replaced with Sandeep Sharma.
Livingstone versus the spinners could certainly be box office but given the performances of Rajasthan's top three against SRH, restricting runs in the powerplay will be crucial to Kings' chances.
Left-armers Sam Curran and Arshdeep Singh could cause Jaiswal, Buttler and Samson problems with their angles and change-ups, and Australian Nathan Ellis is a constant wicket-taking threat.
Curran will know Buttler's game intimately and his cutters may be PBKS best option at snaffling the Universe Jos early.
The trio will need to work in tandem, varying pace and lengths in order to disrupt the rhythm of the RR guns, though that is far easier said than done.
Matches played: 24
Rajasthan Royals wins: 14
Punjab Kings wins: 10
The weather in Guwahati is unbroken 33 degree sunshine throughout the afternoon, before dropping to 29 degrees and cloudy with a 20 per cent chance of rain closer to the 7.30pm local time start.
Liam Livingstone could come into the equation for Punjab (Aamir Qureshi/AFP via Getty Images)
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Jos Buttler (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma, Trent Boult, Obed McCoy, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Kuldeep Yadav, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, KC Cariappa, Jason Holder, Donovan Ferreira (wk), Kunal Rathore, Adam Zampa, KM Asif, Murugan Ashwin, Akash Vashisht, Abdul PA, Joe Root
Punjab Kings: Shikhar Dhawan (c), Shahrukh Khan, Matthew Short, Prabhsimran Singh, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma, Raj Bawa, Rishi Dhawan, Liam Livingstone, Atharva Taide, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis, Baltej Singh, Kagiso Rabada, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Sam Curran, Sikanadar Raza, Harpreet Bhatia, Vidwath Kaverappa, Shivam Singh, and Mohit Rathe
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c, wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, KM Asif, Yuzvendra Chahal
Punjab Kings: Prabhsimran Singh, Shikhar Dhawan (c), Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Liam Livingstone, Shahrukh Khan, Sam Curran, Harpreet Brar, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh, Nathan Ellis
Rajasthan Royals are 14/19 favourites to win. Punjab Kings are available at 5/4.
After getting the MVP last season, scoring 836 runs and firing England to T20 WC glory, Jos Buttler must be on T20 autopilot right now.
If for some reason he doesn't click, at least one of Jaiswal, Samson, Paddikal or Hetmyer will.
I just can't see where PBKS gain the edge or have the X-Factor over RR. It may be close, but Royals go two for two.
In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.
Fans in India can watch all the action on Star Sports.
Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.
Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.
Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.
If you are watching from the Middle East, you'll be able to view the game on Times Internet.
People from Bangladesh can watch the game on Gazi TV.
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