IPL 2021: 5 things to watch as Sanju Samson’s RR take on KL Rahul’s Punjab Kings

One of the best matches of IPL 2020 was played when Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings locked horns in Abu Dhabi, Rahul Tewatia taking on Sheldon Cottrell’s reputation by smashing him for five sixes in an over and winning an out-of-hand match eventually. Both the teams start their 2021 campaigns with similar objectives – to end a trophy drought. While, Royals did win the inaugural IPL season in 2008, 13 years seem long gone. Punjab also managed to qualify for the finals in 2014, losing to Kolkata Knight Riders. 

Five things to watch as KL Rahul and Sanju Samson – young Indian skippers – call the toss are: 

1) Chris Gayle, in or out? 

The Punjab Kings went all in during the February 2021 auctions when they spent heavy bucks for Jhye Richardson and Riley Meredith. Dawid Malan – the No 1 T20I batsman – has also attracted attention and is likely to feature in the playing 11. This leaves Chris Gayle, Fabian Allen, Nicholas Pooran, Chris Jordan and Moises Henriques fighting for the one slot and by the looks of it, Pooran and Jordan come with a better chance. This would mean that the Punjab Kings – like the last season – will start without Gayle. 

2) Shahrukh Khan’s debut 

Punjab battled tooth and nail with Kolkata Knight Riders to secure the services of hard-hitting Shahrukh Khan at the auctions. Priced at a whopping Rs 5.25 crore, Khan has been wearing quite the spotlight and is likely to find a place in the Punjab squad ahead of an experienced Sarfaraz Khan. His domestic numbers – a dashing average of 44 in List A and 33 in First class cricket – narrate a story in itself. The 6.6 foot tall off-spinning allrounder also comes riding on an eventful Vijay Hazare trophy. 

3) Rahul Tewatia’s special history with Punjab 

Only six months ago, Rahul Tewatia, a lesser known character in the Indian cricketing scene, jumped on to the benefits of IPL and stunned the best of the international bowlers – especially Sheldon Contrell – by winning a what the commentators called ‘a next to impossible game’. He slammed 53 off 31 balls after getting a 18-ball 9 run start. Rajasthan chased a 224-run target with three balls to spare. In the second leg, where Gayle was dismissed for 99 runs, Tewatia didn’t bat but bowled at a economy rate of 7.33 rpo. 

4) Jhye Richardson’s debut 

The Australian fast bowler came as one of the most expensive players in the IPL 2021 auctions. He comes with 82 wickets from 67 matches in the domestic T20 matches on his back. Richardson’s BBL performance – 29 wickets in 17 matches for the Perth Scorchers – was the best in the league. Interestingly, the youngster’s figures indicate  that he can pick a wicket every three overs.

5) KL Rahul vs Sanju Samson 

Two young India captains – the future of team India – will lock horns on a ground that narrates a majestic historical chapter of what a determined Indian skipper does. While Rahul carries with him a one-season experience, Samson will be making his captaining debut on Monday. The two will not only be compared as leaders but their respective teams also depend on them as batsmen.