NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals (RR), now back under the leadership of Sanju Samson , will take on an in-form Punjab Kings (PBKS) in a high-stakes Indian Premier League ( IPL ) 2025 clash on Saturday.
A big focus of the match will be on a struggling Yashasvi Jaiswal , who will be eager to shift attention back to his batting. Jaiswal has had a turbulent few weeks — switching domestic allegiances from Mumbai to Goa amid reported internal rifts and posting underwhelming scores of 1, 29 and 4 in this IPL season. The 22-year-old southpaw, hungry for leadership roles, now finds himself needing runs more than ever, especially after being overlooked for the Champions Trophy squad.
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Samson’s return as captain comes after RR’s inconsistent run under stand-in skipper Riyan Parag, whose leadership failed to inspire despite a narrow win over Chennai Super Kings. The Royals’ batting remains heavily reliant on Samson, with Shimron Hetmyer expected to provide the finishing firepower. However, Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel’s form will be key in putting up or chasing a big score.
Punjab Kings, meanwhile, come in hot — led impressively by Shreyas Iyer , who has scored back-to-back half-centuries and already smashed 13 sixes in two games, equaling his tally from all of last season. Iyer's tactical nous has stood out too, with sharp field placements and smart bowling changes, including effective use of Glenn Maxwell the spinner, who’s looked sharper than even Yuzvendra Chahal.
Rajasthan’s bowling attack — with Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Tushar Deshpande — is solid but not fearsome. Against a power-packed Punjab batting line-up, they will need a minimum of 210 on the board to feel safe.
Squads
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.
A big focus of the match will be on a struggling Yashasvi Jaiswal , who will be eager to shift attention back to his batting. Jaiswal has had a turbulent few weeks — switching domestic allegiances from Mumbai to Goa amid reported internal rifts and posting underwhelming scores of 1, 29 and 4 in this IPL season. The 22-year-old southpaw, hungry for leadership roles, now finds himself needing runs more than ever, especially after being overlooked for the Champions Trophy squad.
Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel.
Samson’s return as captain comes after RR’s inconsistent run under stand-in skipper Riyan Parag, whose leadership failed to inspire despite a narrow win over Chennai Super Kings. The Royals’ batting remains heavily reliant on Samson, with Shimron Hetmyer expected to provide the finishing firepower. However, Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel’s form will be key in putting up or chasing a big score.
Punjab Kings, meanwhile, come in hot — led impressively by Shreyas Iyer , who has scored back-to-back half-centuries and already smashed 13 sixes in two games, equaling his tally from all of last season. Iyer's tactical nous has stood out too, with sharp field placements and smart bowling changes, including effective use of Glenn Maxwell the spinner, who’s looked sharper than even Yuzvendra Chahal.
Rajasthan’s bowling attack — with Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Tushar Deshpande — is solid but not fearsome. Against a power-packed Punjab batting line-up, they will need a minimum of 210 on the board to feel safe.
Squads
Punjab Kings: Shreyas Iyer (c), Priyansh Arya, Pyla Avinash, Harnoor Singh, Josh Inglis, Prabhsimran Singh, Vishnu Vinod, Nehal Wadhera, Azmatullah Omarzai, Aaron Hardie, Marco Jansen, Glenn Maxwell, Musheer Khan, Shashank Singh, Marcus Stoinis, Suryansh Shedge, Arshdeep Singh, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Praveen Dubey, Lockie Ferguson, Harpreet Brar, Kuldeep Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Yash Thakur.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Riyan Parag, Shubham Dubey, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Kunal Rathore, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Nitish Rana, Yudhvir Singh, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya Singh, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Sandeep Sharma.
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