Punjab Kings will play Rajasthan Royals in the 18th match of the Indian Premier League 2025. This match will be played at Maharaja Yadavindra International Stadium in Mullanpur. As the IPL fever kicks off, 74 matches will be played across 13 cities over the next two months. Qualifier 1 and the Eliminator will be played in Hyderabad on May 20 and 21, respectively. Qualifier 2, on May 23, and the final, on May 25, will be in Kolkata.
Punjab Kings have two wins in two matches and are at the top of the points table. They beat Lucknow Super Giants by eight wickets in the previous match and will be high on confidence coming into this game. They will also play at home and look to entertain the fans.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have one win and two losses in three matches. They are ninth in the points table. RR beat CSK in the previous match and will be keen to put up another good performance. Sanju Samson is expected to be back as captain. This promises to be a thrilling match.
PBKS vs RR: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium in Mullanpur has produced balanced pitches. Five matches were hosted here last year, with an average first innings score of 167. With dew likely to play a factor, bowling first would be a better option.
The weather is expected to be clear with the temperature hovering around 23 degrees Celsius.
Top Player Picks for PBKS vs RR Dream11 Prediction
Marcus Stoinis (PBKS)
- Marcus Stoinis might have to play a bigger role for PBKS in this game, given his all-round skill set.
- He has scored over 1,100 runs in T20 cricket in the past 12 months at an average of 32 and strike rate of 139.
- The right arm seamer has also taken 34 wickets in this period.
- His last five innings: 20 (15), 0 (5), 55* (40), 0 (1), 15 (24).
- His last five bowling innings: 0/15, 0/31, 1/22, 0/41, 1/18.
Arshdeep Singh (PBKS)
- Arshdeep Singh took 2 for 36 in the first game of the season and followed it up with 3 for 43.
- The left-arm pacer bowls with the new ball, and in death overs, giving him a high chance of picking up wickets.
- He has taken 63 wickets from just 37 matches in the past year, striking every 12.6 deliveries.
- Arshdeep’s last five innings: 3/43, 2/36, 1/35, 1/40, 2/17.
Jofra Archer (RR)
- On a pitch that had some help for bowlers, Jofra Archer was nearly unplayable in the previous game, snaring 1 for 13 in three overs.
- Archer hasn’t been in great form in recent times but he should be effective against the Punjab Kings line-up.
- Archer’s last five bowling innings: 1/13, 0/33, 0/76, 1/55, 0/37.
Top Captaincy and Vice-Captaincy Picks for PBKS vs RR Dream11 Prediction
Shreyas Iyer (PBKS)
- Shreyas Iyer has been in terrific form and has started the season in great style.
- The PBKS skipper smashed 97 not-out in 42 in the first game and 52 not-out in 30 deliveries in the second game.
- He has amassed 788 runs in the shorter format in the past 12 months at an average of 56 and strike rate of 172.
- Shreyas’ last five innings: 52* (30), 97* (42), 16 (9), 46 (30), 5 (5).
Sanju Samson (RR)
- Sanju Samson is coming off two low scores in the last two games but had made 66 off 37 in the season opener.
- He has been in great form overall, scoring 1,258 runs in T20 cricket since the start of the last year at 38 average and 159 strike rate.
- Samson has registered three hundreds and six fifties in this period.
- Samson’s last five innings: 20 (16), 13 (11), 66 (37), 16 (7), 1 (3).
Riyan Parag (RR)
- Riyan Parag has not reached his potential this season but has looked in decent touch.
- He has scored 745 runs in the T20 format since the beginning of the IPL 2024, averaging 37 at a strike rate of 149.
- His last five batting innings: 37 (28), 25 (15), 4 (2), 34 (13), 15 (6).
PBKS vs RR Player to Avoid
Maheesh Theekshana (RR)
- Maheesh Theekshana had taken two wickets in the first but had conceded 52 runs. He was wicketless in the last two games and leaving him out would be a better option.
Grand League Team for PBKS vs RR Dream11 Prediction
Small League Team for PBKS vs RR Dream11 Prediction
Punjab Kings Probable Playing XI
P Simran Singh (wk), S Iyer (C), N Wadhera, P Arya, GJ Maxwell, Shashank Singh, MP Stoinis, M Jansen, LH Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal
Bench: Harnoor Singh, Pyla Avinash, Vishnu Vinod, JP Inglis, Suryansh Shedge, AM Hardie, Azmatullah Omarzai, Musheer Khan, P Dubey, Harpreet Brar, KR Sen, Vijaykumar Vyshak, YS Thakur, Xavier Bartlett
Rajasthan Royals Probable Playing XI
SV Samson (C), DC Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, R Parag, N Rana, W Hasaranga, Sandeep Sharma, TU Deshpande, M Theekshana, Jofra Archer
Bench: Kunal Singh Rathore, V Suryavanshi, Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh, K Kartikeya, Akash Mandwaal, Kwena Maphaka, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Ashok Sharma