IPL 2024:  Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings Best Bets

A stuttering Rajasthan Royals side will look to regain some form when they take on Punjab Kings, who’ll be looking to avoid the wooden spoon. This contest will take place at the Barsapara Stadium in Barsapara on Wednesday. We’ve prepared the best bets for Match 65 of the IPL 2024 campaign.

Venue: Barsapara Stadium

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Despite three consecutive losses, the Royals remain on 16 points with their playoff spot now secure following Delhi’s recent win over Lucknow. Their robust Net Run Rate (+0.349), much better than their competitors, puts them in a strong position to secure a top-two finish alongside Kolkata Knight Riders with just one more win.

Facing Punjab might work in their favour as the Royals have triumphed in six of the last eight head-to-head meetings. Captain Sanju Samson continues to anchor their batting, while Riyan Parag has emerged as a standout performer, leading the scoring for the Royals on five occasions this season with a strike rate of 153.82. Meanwhile, Yuzvendra Chahal, heading to the World Cup, needs to tighten up after leaking runs in recent outings.

The Kings, out of playoff contention with only eight points from 12 matches, aim to avoid finishing last. Despite their struggles, they’ve shown they can surprise, with recent wins over top teams like Kolkata Knight Riders and the Super Kings. The absence of Shikhar Dhawan has been felt, but players like Shashank Singh and Rilee Rossouw have brought vitality to the lineup, underscoring Punjab’s potential to disrupt even the best teams.

Key players to watch include Sanju Samson, who has consistently scored against Punjab, including knocks of 71* and 86 in recent matches. For Punjab, Arshdeep Singh has been effective in this fixture, claiming 16 wickets in eight meetings, though he faces a tough challenge against Samson, who has dominated their past encounters.

Rajasthan Royals come into this game as the favourites looking for a top-two finish. They come against a side that has struggled this season and will fancy themselves. 

Prediction: Rajasthan Royals to win at 1.64.

Players to Watch: Sanju Samson has 305 runs in just eight innings against the Punjab Kings, with his scores ranging between 29-47 including three consecutive scores in the 40s. He has top-scored for the Royals in two of their last four matches, scoring 71* and 86 in those games.

One bowler from the Punjab camp, who enjoys this fixture is Arshdeep Singh. The left-arm pacer has 16 wickets in eight H2Hs, taking multiple wickets in five of those games. He could struggle against Samson, though, as the batter had dominated the IPL exchanges so far: 57 for 1 off seven innings with an SR of 11.40 runs per over.

Key Stats

Rajasthan’s bowlers have conceded only 7.08 sixes per match in this campaign, which is better than all teams bar Chennai Super Kings (6.62).

They have excelled even more in the powerplays, conceding a league-low 50 runs per match in that phase.

Punjab aren’t too far behind, conceding only 53.17 runs per powerplay in this campaign. 

The positives of that phase are being undone late in the game, as Punjab’s bowlers have conceded a league-high 47.17 runs per match between overs 17-20.

Trent Boult has seven wickets in the powerplay overs this season, with only Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Khaleel Ahmed taking more.

Ravichandran Ashwin was the top-wicket taker for the Royals in their last two games but has taken multiple wickets in just five of his past 21 games against Punjab.

Punjab may not want to chase against the Royals, as they have lost seven of ten H2Hs when doing so.

Best Bets

Best Bet: Rajasthan Royals to hit the most sixes at 1.71.

Value Bet: Sanju Samson to be Rajasthan Royals’ top batter at 4.35.

BET Contributor