RR vs PBKS: Revealed - Who are the impact players nominated by RR and PBKS for match 65 of IPL 2024

Rajasthan Royals (RR) are up against Punjab Kings (PBKS) in the 65th game of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The match between the two teams, who have given massive entertainment to fans with their games for the last few years, is  taking place at the Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati on Wednesday (15th May). 11

This is the second time that Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings will be crossing swords with each other in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. The first match between the teams was an absolute thriller as it went down the wire and saw the Sanju Samson-led side winning the game in the last over of the match.  

Overall, both Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings have squared off with each other 27 times and the Sanju Samson-led side has an upper hand over the opposition. The Rajasthan-based team has won 16 games while the Punjab-based team has emerged as the winners in 11 games. 

Rajasthan Royals has qualified for the playoffs and would be keen for a win so that they book the spot in Qualifier 1. They qualified for the playoffs after Delhi Capitals defeated Lucknow Super Giants. On the other hand, Punjab Kings were the second team to be eliminated from the IPL 2024 and will be playing for pride. 

Rajasthan Royals are placed 2nd on the points table with 8 wins and 4 defeats from the 12 games in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024. They have 16 points under their belt with +0.349 NRR. On the other hand, Punjab Kings have 4 wins and 8 defeats and are 10th on the points table.

Both Rajasthan Royals and Punjab Kings will be entering the game on the back of poor losses. While the Sanju Samson-led side bagged a 5-wicket loss against Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings were hammered by 60 runs by Royal Challengers Bengaluru.

IPL 2024: Who are the impact players nominated by RR and PBKS for match 65 of IPL 2024

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson won the toss and opted to bat first in the game against PBKS. He cited the conditions as the reason behind his decision and opened up about the conversations with the team after three losses. He stated: 

“We'll bat first in these conditions. This is a second home for us, we have spend quite a bit of time here. We spent two days to assess on whether there is dew, and there isn't any. The team, the batting and bowling unit are doing great. Everyone is chill and we are excited to come out and play a great game of cricket. I'd be lying if I say no, the camp looks a lot more relaxed. We'll miss Jos and Kohler-Cadmore comes in, and we might have Fereira as an impact sub later.”

Punjab Kings captain Sam Curran on the other hand talked about the difficulties that his team are facing in the team but made a cheeky remark, saying that they can spoil other teams’ campaigns. He explained: 

“Tonight we play a really good team, and we can spoil a few campaigns now and finish with some pride. We've had a really good squad but some of those games we didn't win the big moments. We are about 2-3 wins away from qualifying. Tonight, we play a good side and I believe in character, I certainly don't want to lose tonight and hopefully I can rub that off on the players.We've lost a few players, KG is out and Nathan Ellis gets a game. Brar also comes back into the line-up.”

RR vs PBKS: Impact Players 

RR: Donovan Ferreira, Tanush Kotian, Nandre Burger, Kuldeep Sen, Keshav Maharaj

PBKS: Ashutosh Sharma, Harpreet Bhatia, Rishi Dhawan, V Kaverappa, T Thyagarajan 

RR vs PBKS: Playing XIs

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Tom Kohler-Cadmore, Sanju Samson(w/c), Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Rovman Powell, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Avesh Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal

Punjab Kings (Playing XI): Prabhsimran Singh, Jonny Bairstow, Rilee Rossouw, Shashank Singh, Jitesh Sharma(w), Sam Curran(c), Harpreet Brar, Harshal Patel, Nathan Ellis, Rahul Chahar, Arshdeep Singh