IPL 2021: PBKS opts to field vs RR; Markram, Rashid included in playing XI

In match 32 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021, Punjab Kings captain KL Rahul won the toss and elected to field against Rajasthan Royals at Dubai International Stadium, Dubai. In the head-to-head record, the Royals have a better record, leading 12 wins as compared to their opponents’ 10.

“We’ll bowl first. It’s a no-brainer, a fresh wicket with grass on. We don’t know how it will play and I prefer chasing. I was just telling a few people in the dressing room that it just felt like yesterday that we were playing IPL 2020. We have a lot that we’ve learned from last year. We are all professionals and we have tried hard in the heat to prefer ourselves,” the right-handed batsman said.

Talking about PBKS’ playing XI, KL Rahul said: Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Adil Rashid and Fabian Allen are our overseas players. Unfortunately, Chris Gayle misses out and Aiden has been in good form coming into our setup from Sri Lanka.”

At the toss, Sanju Samson said: “We are good are chasing and setting totals, so we were happy to do both. We have really great talent and characters in our team. It is a very positive atmosphere. Sangakkara brings in the experience, he knows what to communicate at what point. He just wanted us to relax.”

Evin Lewis, Liam Livingstone, Chris Morris and Mustafizur Rahman will be the overseas players for the Royals.

Playing XI (from)

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Evin Lewis, Sanju Samson(w/c), Liam Livingstone, Mahipal Lomror, Riyan Parag, Rahul Tewatia, Chris Morris, Mustafizur Rahman, Chetan Sakariya, Kartik Tyagi.

Punjab Kings: KL Rahul(w/c), Mayank Agarwal, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran, Deepak Hooda, Fabian Allen, Adil Rashid, Harpreet Brar, Mohammed Shami, Arshdeep Singh, Ishan Porel.

Debutants for the match:

Evin Lewis will be debuting for Rajasthan Royals.

For Punjab Kings, Ishan Porel, Aiden Markram and Adil Rashid are all set to make their debut.