The 12th edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) have started with a bang with defending champions Chennai Super Kings (CSK) thoroughly outplaying the Royal Challengers Bangalore in the season opener. As we move forward, Rajasthan Royals (RR) will clash against Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) in match four of IPL 2019 at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium on May 25 (Monday). Both the sides will look to have a possitive start and set the tone for the rest of the tournament.
Smith massive boost for Rajasthan
Meanwhile, Rajasthan Royals (RR) had a slow start in the last edition of the tournament but picked it up late to finish fourth in the points table after the group stages. However, they lost in the eliminator against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to bow out from the tournament. On the other hand, Kings XI Punjab (KXIP) had a superb start to the competition but lost track in the middle. As a result, they failed to qualify from the group stages. With a brand new season on the cards, both the side will aim to start on a high at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.
Rajasthan Royals have a quality squad in place with quality foreign players. The likes of Jos Buttler, Ben Stokes and Jofra Archer can win matches single-handedly on any given day. Jos Buttler was in spectacular form last year and will look to pick exactly from there. Moreover, the addition of Steven Smith will only strengthen their batting order. Besides, the Royals also have young spinners in Krishnappa Gowtham and Shreyas Gopal who have the experience to do well in tough conditions.
The Punjab side also looks fantastic on paper but will have to do their job in the middle. They boast a stable opening pair in Chris Gayle and KL Rahul; however, the India cricketer needs to bat keeping out the World Cup squad from the mind. They also have a thinking skipper in Ravichandran Ashwin who has led the franchise from the front and will aim to do so.
Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), who are yet to lift the coveted trophy will be desperate to put in all the efforts and raise the cup this time around.
Weather Forecast:
The temperature will be hovering around 25 to 27 degrees Celsius making it ideal for a cricket match. Moreover, there will be a fair bit of wind on the ground helping the fast bowlers with the new ball.
However, there is no forecast for any rain during the game thus making it a forty over action. The players will have a good time playing at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium starting from 8 pm.
Here are some more details:
