Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Prediction & Betting Tips - Indian Premier League

Prediction published on 03/04/2023, 08:00  by Devesh Jaganath in Cricket Predictions

The second round of matches in the Indian Premier League 2023 is set to get underway this week, and in our featured match, we will see the Rajasthan Royals take on the Punjab Kings at the Barsapara Stadium in what's expected to be an entertaining duel in the IPL on Wednesday afternoon. The hosts currently hold the top rank on the table after the first round of matches, thanks to their dominant win over the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Batting first, the Royals posted an excellent 203/5 in their 20 overs, led by their formidable top order. Yashasvi Jaswal and Jos Buttler both scored half-centuries to get the innings going, with Buttler's 54 coming in just 22 balls. Skipper Sanju Samson then took on the task scoring 55 runs in 32 balls. As for their bowling, Trent Boult made early inroads, knocking over two wickets in the first over before Yuzvendra Chahal headlined for the Royals, picking up four wickets for just 17 runs in his four overs. Following their fine start, the Royals will be in great spirits coming into this match and will fancy themselves to go two for two early in this tournament. 

The Punjab Kings also managed to pull off a win in their tournament opener against the Kolkata Knight Riders, though it didn't come without event as DLS was required following a rain interval The Kings scored 191 in their innings, which was revised to 152 after DLS, and they managed to defend that total, eventually winning by seven runs. Bhanuka Rajapaksa was the best batsman for the Kings that day, scoring 50 in 32 balls, supported by skipper Shikhar Dhawan who scored 40 in 29 balls at the top of the innings. Arshdeep Singh was the pick of the bowlers, with three wickets for 19 runs in his three overs. Punjab currently sits fifth in the IPL standings and will need to improve on their first-match performance to challenge the Royals, who look very strong this year.