Rajasthan Royals (RR), back under Sanju Samson’s captaincy, are set for a crucial IPL 2025 showdown against the in-form Punjab Kings (PBKS) on Saturday.
All eyes will be on Yashasvi Jaiswal, who’s had a turbulent spell marked by a switch from Mumbai to Goa in domestic cricket and a string of low IPL scores (1, 29, and 4). Once touted as a future leader, the 22-year-old now desperately needs runs, especially after missing out on the Champions Trophy squad.
Samson’s return follows a patchy stint under stand-in skipper Riyan Parag, whose lone win over Chennai Super Kings failed to spark confidence. RR’s batting still leans heavily on Samson, with Shimron Hetmyer likely tasked with finishing duties. The form of Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel will be critical if RR hopes to post or chase a competitive total.
On the other side, Punjab Kings are on a roll under the sharp leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has not only notched back-to-back fifties but has already matched his six-hitting tally from last season — 13 in just two games. His smart captaincy, including clever field placements and the effective use of Glenn Maxwell’s spin, has drawn praise — with Maxwell even outperforming Chahal so far.
RR’s bowling, featuring Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Tushar Deshpande, is strong but not intimidating. Up against Punjab’s explosive batting line-up, they’ll likely need to put up at least 210 runs to be in control.
PBKS vs RR Predicted Playing 11
Rajasthan Royals Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(c/w), Nitish Rana, Ryan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Mahesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
Impact Player – Shubham Dubey/Fazalhaq Farooqi
Punjab Kings Predicted XI: Prabhsimran Singh (w), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Markus Stoinis, Glen Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Player – Nehal Wadhera
PBKS vs RR Head-to-Head Record
PBKS and RR have faced each other 28 times, and RR hold the upper hand, winning 16 matches. The other 12 have gone Punjab's way. The last five matches have been largely even with Royals winning three and two for Kings. In IPL 2024, both had one win each with Royals clinching the contest in Mullanpur.
PBKS vs RR IPL 2025, Mullanpur weather prediction
As per Accuweather, Chandigarh is expected to incredibly hot with temperatures slated to hit 30 degrees Celsius throughout the day. However, the conditions are expected to cool down slightly for the 7:30pm start, with temperatures dipping to 27 degrees Celsius.
All eyes will be on Yashasvi Jaiswal, who’s had a turbulent spell marked by a switch from Mumbai to Goa in domestic cricket and a string of low IPL scores (1, 29, and 4). Once touted as a future leader, the 22-year-old now desperately needs runs, especially after missing out on the Champions Trophy squad.
Samson’s return follows a patchy stint under stand-in skipper Riyan Parag, whose lone win over Chennai Super Kings failed to spark confidence. RR’s batting still leans heavily on Samson, with Shimron Hetmyer likely tasked with finishing duties. The form of Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel will be critical if RR hopes to post or chase a competitive total.
On the other side, Punjab Kings are on a roll under the sharp leadership of Shreyas Iyer. Iyer has not only notched back-to-back fifties but has already matched his six-hitting tally from last season — 13 in just two games. His smart captaincy, including clever field placements and the effective use of Glenn Maxwell’s spin, has drawn praise — with Maxwell even outperforming Chahal so far.
RR’s bowling, featuring Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Tushar Deshpande, is strong but not intimidating. Up against Punjab’s explosive batting line-up, they’ll likely need to put up at least 210 runs to be in control.
PBKS vs RR Predicted Playing 11
Rajasthan Royals Predicted XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson(c/w), Nitish Rana, Ryan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Mahesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
Impact Player – Shubham Dubey/Fazalhaq Farooqi
Punjab Kings Predicted XI: Prabhsimran Singh (w), Priyansh Arya, Shreyas Iyer (c), Shashank Singh, Markus Stoinis, Glen Maxwell, Suryansh Shedge, Azmatullah Omarzai, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh and Yuzvendra Chahal.
Impact Player – Nehal Wadhera
PBKS vs RR Head-to-Head Record
PBKS and RR have faced each other 28 times, and RR hold the upper hand, winning 16 matches. The other 12 have gone Punjab's way. The last five matches have been largely even with Royals winning three and two for Kings. In IPL 2024, both had one win each with Royals clinching the contest in Mullanpur.
PBKS vs RR IPL 2025, Mullanpur weather prediction
As per Accuweather, Chandigarh is expected to incredibly hot with temperatures slated to hit 30 degrees Celsius throughout the day. However, the conditions are expected to cool down slightly for the 7:30pm start, with temperatures dipping to 27 degrees Celsius.
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