History
Rajasthan Royals won the inaugural IPL title back in 2008, however they have struggled considerably ever since. Kings XI Punjab reached the final back in 2014 but have been one of the poorest performing teams since then. Their head to head record is extremely balanced, with the Royals winning 10 out of 19 matches, and Punjab winning the other 9. They both won their previous match, and are looking in good touch going into this game.
Team News
Kings XI Punjab dominated in their previous game against Royal Challengers Bangalore, as their captain KL Rahul ended up with the highest IPL score by an Indian, with a stunning innings of 132. It was a much needed win for them after a disappointing super-over defeat to Delhi Capitals in their first game.
Rajasthan Royals are only the second team in the tournament that is still unbeaten, having won their only match against the mighty Chennai Super Kings. Sanju Samson played an explosive innings at the top and was complemented perfectly by skipper Steve Smith as they piled on a huge total, while Jofra Archer smashed 30 runs of the last over in a perfect all-round display. They could be boosted by the return of Jos Buttler, a solid option to open along with Samson.
Betting Preview, Picks And Prediction
To Win The Match
This is a very evenly poised match, with both teams looking in great form and also boasting of a very balanced head to head record. Hence. This match has equal odds of 1.90 for both these teams to win this match, a first for this season.
Top Team Batsman
Rajasthan Royals will hope to have Buttler back and he is unsurprisingly the favourite to be their top batsman in this match with odds of 3.25. His opening partner Sanju Samson has odds of 4.00, while the dependable Steve Smith also has odds of 4.00.
After his unbelievable innings in the previous match, KL Rahul is the favourite to be Punjab’s top batsman, with odds of 3.25. He is followed by Mayank Agarwal at 5.00, which is tempting as he was the top scorer in their first match.
Highest Opening Partnership
Both these team have the same odds at 1.90 to have the highest opening partnership, which is understandable as both their opening pairs are all top batsman. Sanju Samson and Jos Buttler, and KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal, all are capable of big innings, and all are in form.
Top Team Bowler
Both the pace bowling spearheads of each team, Jofra Archer and Mohammed Shami, are the favourites to be the top bowlers of their respective teams, as per Bet 365.
Total Runs In The Match
Odds of there being more than 333.5 runs in this match are 1.63, as per Bet 365. This is the highest out of all matches this season, and is not surprising as both these teams scored over 200 runs in their previous match, and with big hitters like Chris Gayle and Jos Buttler returning, the required average score per team for this bet, which is just 162, is very likely.
Individual Player Betting
- KL Rahul to score more than 27.5 runs has odds of 1.83 , which is again a very attractive bet as he is one of the most consistent batsmen in the league. Steve Smith to score more than 22.5 runs has odds of 1.83 as well, which is again very tempting as he is very dependable.
- Both teams to have the most sixes in this match have odds of 2.05, which is tempting as they have the likes of Rahul, Samson and Buttler.
- Jofra Archer to take 2 or more wickets has odds of 2.10, while Shreyas Gopal not to take a single wicket has odds of 2.75, which is likely as he is not in form.
Our Top Betting Picks
- Rajasthan Royals to win the match @1.90
- RR to hit the most sixes @2.05
- KXIP to have the Highest Opening Partnership @1.90
- Jofra Archer to be RR’s top wicket taker @3.25
