Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals Prediction & Betting Tips -

Prediction published on 11/04/2024, 09:00  by Devesh Jaganath | Modified on 11/04/2024 at 10:02 in Indian Premier League Predictions

The Punjab Kings will play host to the Rajasthan Royals in match 27 of the 2024 Indian Premier League on Sunday afternoon. The hosts are currently in fifth place, while the visitors lead the league standings. Not since the first year of IPL competition have the Punjab Kings made it to the knockout stages, and their final-four hiatus looks likely to be extended this season unless they can put together a few positive results. They are on four points after five matches, only two above the bottom of the table. Last time out, the men from Punjab came up agonizingly short against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, losing by just two runs chasing down 182/2. They also lost to Lucknow Super Giants and Royal Challengers Bangalore earlier in the competition while their only other victory was against basement club Delhi Capitals in their tournament opener. PBKS have struggled with the bat, which has nullified the good work the likes of Arshdeep Singh and Kagiso Rabada have done with the ball. The hosts won the last match between these sides but are the underdogs in this one. 

Meanwhile, the Rajasthan Royals have made a very good start to their tournament and were the only team to manage four wins in a row. Those came against the Super Giants in the first match of the competition, followed by further victories against the Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and Royal Challengers. However, their winning streak was brought to an end in midweek by the Gujarat Titans in a nail-biter that went down to the final ball of the match. That result took a knock on their net run rate, which is now the second-best in the competition at +0.871. Still, there is plenty to like about the Royals this season, particularly the performance of Yuzvendra Chahal, who is the current purple cap holder with 10 wickets in just 18 overs so far. His hard work has been backed up well by Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson with the bat, who rank second and fourth, respectively, in the race to catch Virat Kohli for the orange cap. The Royals have historically been the more successful side in this match, winning 15 of the 26 encounters, and will be looking for a swift return to winning ways here.