Rajasthan Royals take on Punjab Kings in the Indian Premier League 2021 season, looking to improve on their mid-table position. Both IPL clubs have been regular underachievers in the competition and will be anxious to turn things around. On Tuesday, the match will be decided by the top-order players’ beginnings.
Punjab Kings made some interesting exclusions from their Playing XI for match 31 of the IPL 2021 against Rajasthan Royals in Dubai on Tuesday, which left fans amused. On Chris Gayle’s 42nd birthday, the Punjab Kings left him out of their lineup, which enraged supporters, but Twitter users were much more outraged when they learned that Ravi Bishnoi was also left out.
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Giving the 16th over to Deepak Hooda
When Deepak Hooda was asked to bowl the 16th over, fans and analysts were perplexed. If Rahul had wanted an offspinner against the left-handed Lomror, he could have bowled Markram. He chose Hooda, which was a bold decision that may have paid off if he hadn’t bowled so many full tosses! To have any chance of turning away from a left-handed hitter, the ball must pitch. If the Kings lose a close game, this over might come back to haunt Rahul.
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Playing Fabian Allen as a pure batsman
Fabian Allen played as a pure batsman which was a mistake as he is great with the ball as well. Using Allen only as a batsman is poor decision-making from KL Rahul. Allen could’ve easily made an impact with the ball as well.
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Dropping Chris Gayle
Punjab Kings upset fans by leaving Chris Gayle out of their opening match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 season. At the Dubai International Cricket Stadium, the KL Rahul-led team started their campaign against Rajasthan Royals. During the toss, Rahul disclosed that Gayle is not one of the four foreign players in the line-up, which shocked the supporters. Gayle is a dangerous player, thus leaving him out of the starting XI was a poor choice.
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Use of slow balls in the initial overs
Using slow balls in the initial overs made no sense. Everyone has seen that this IPL, pace bowling in the initial overs has been much more beneficial. Using slow balls has been a poor tactical decision which helped RR score runs at ease.
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Dropping Indian Batting options
Indian batting options like Shahrukh Khan, Sarfaraz Khan, and Mandeep Singh were dropped which was a poor decision. Shahrukh Khan has done well in the initial phase was of the tournament and deserved to start today. Sarfaraz Khan, who has great hitting ability also deserved to start.
