The fourth game of IPL 2021 will see the Rajasthan Royals take on the Punjab Kings on April 12 in Mumbai. This will be the first IPL game for both sides and they will be eager to start their 2021 IPL campaign with a win.
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Bet365 has given both teams the same betting odds of 1.90 as both sides appear to be pretty evenly matched on paper. The Rajasthan Royals finished at the bottom of the points table in IPL 2020 and the team owners were not very happy with that performance. They have made multiple changes to the squad including changing their captain.
Steve Smith lost both his captaincy and his place in the Royals side. Sanju Samson has been given the responsibility for turning around the fortunes of the Rajasthan Royals. Punjab Kings XI finished sixth on the IPL 2020 points table. The owners decided to rebrand the team and have now renamed it as Punjab Kings. Will the name change also help to change the fortunes of the team?
Our experts share their views on what each team must do to win on April 12. They also give you their predictions as to which team they think will come out on top!
What RR Must Do To Win
Rajasthan Royals are going in with a new captain and a new approach. The Royals are going to experiment with a new opening combination as they get Jos Butler and Ben Stokes to open the batting. Butler has opened before for the Royals but Stokes is not an opening batsman.
This is a big gamble at the start but if it pays off, it could be the turbo boost that the Royals need to become a serious contender for the 2021 IPL. The middle-order line-up could change but it will probably be the captain Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, David Miller and Chris Morris.
There will be no Jofra Archer for the Royals and this is a big blow to their bowling attack. They will have to depend heavily on J Unadkat, Chris Morris, S Dube and M Markande. If they feel their bowling attack is too weak, they may end up leaving out David Miller and bringing in either Mustafizur Rahman or Andrew Tye.
If RR is to win their opening game, they need to their new opening combination to fire, they need to pick the right bowling line-up and Sanju Samson has to lead from the front with the bat.
What Punjab Kings Must Do To Win
KL Rahul has done an impressive job in leading this side and he will need to continue to showcase both his leadership and batting skills from the start. Punjab Kings have brought in some great talent with the IPL auction and will need to get their playing XI right against the Royals.
The four overseas players that are likely to get a game against the Royals will be Chris Gayle, Nicholas Pooran, Moises Henriques, Jhye Richardson. Punjab Kings have a good domestic set of players but it will be up to the four overseas players to show them the way.
Our Experts Predict
We believe that the Punjab Kings have a much stronger squad. If their four overseas players can fire, expect Punjab Kings to win easily. If the Royals have a great opening partnership with Stokes and Butler, they will have a better chance to win. For now, we got out money on the Punjab Kings.
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