Preview

Battle of the heavyweights

Not only have Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab already made it to the semi-finals, but they've also ensured that, regardless of what happens in the remaining league games, they'll remain Nos. 1 and 2 in the points table

S Rajesh

Match facts

Wednesday, May 28
Start time 20.00 (local), 14.30 (GMT)

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Sohail Tanvir has been the star performer with the ball for Rajasthan, taking 21 wickets at an average of 10 and an economy rate of less than six runs per over (file photo) © AFP
 

The Big Picture

Not only have Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab already made it to the semi-finals, but they've also ensured that, regardless of what happens in the remaining league games, they'll remain Nos. 1 and 2 in the points table. Rajasthan are four points clear of Punjab, who are two points ahead of third-placed Chennai Super Kings.

In terms of semi-final positions, this game won't make a jot of difference. However, that doesn't mean this game is entirely without significance. With this being the last match before the semi-finals, both Rajasthan and Punjab will prefer to finish their league campaigns with a win - Punjab had a night to forget in Kolkata a couple of days back, and another defeat will be a downer before an all-important knockout game; Rajasthan equalled the Mumbai Indians' streak of six successive wins on Monday, and a victory in Mohali will make theirs the longest winning streak of the tournament, the perfect way to go into a semi-final clash.

On paper Punjab seem to have more firepower, but Rajasthan's entire campaign has been built around lesser names putting their hands up and performing almost every time they have been asked to. Yusuf Pathan and Ravindra Jadeja have both handled pressure with the calm of veterans, and with the experienced names in fine form as well, Shane Warne's side is clearly the one to beat in the tournament. Punjab, though, have a fine home run going: since losing their first game against Chennai, they've won every match in Mohali; there's also the small matter of avenging their defeat against Rajasthan when the two teams met in Jaipur more than a month back.

Tournament position

Kings XI Punjab: P13, W9, L4, NRR +0.380
Rajasthan Royals: P13, W11, L2, NRR +0.845

Form (last five matches, most recent first)

Kings XI Punjab: LWWWW
Rajasthan Royals: WWWWW

Watch out for ...

  • Sohail Tanvir v Shaun Marsh. Marsh has been outstanding at the top of the order for Punjab, while Tanvir has been equally inspiring with the ball for Rajasthan.

  • Warne v Punjab's middle order. In Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, Punjab have a couple of excellent players of spin, but their captain, Yuvraj Singh, hasn't always inspired similar confidence against slow bowling. The last time the two sides played, Warne's 3 for 19 had a huge role in restricting Punjab.

  • Piyush Chawla. Punjab's own legspin weapon has had a superb tournament too, with 14 wickets at an average of 23.64 and an economy rate of 8.27.

    • Team news

    After being rested for a game, the impressive Luke Pomersbach could return to get another game before the semi-finals. The Punjab bowlers had a shocker in their last game against Kolkata, leaking 71 in the last five overs, but most off them have been impressive through the tournament, and are likely to be retained.

    Kings XI Punjab (probable) 1 Shaun Marsh, 2 Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 3 Luke Pomersbach, 4 Yuvraj Singh (capt), 5 Mahela Jayawardene, 6 Tanmay Srivastava, 7 Irfan Pathan, 8 Piyush Chawla, 9 Ramesh Powar, 10 Sreesanth, 11 VRV Singh.

    Rajasthan will not want to tinker too much with a combination which has been winning with such regularity. Graeme Smith could get another game off to recover from his hamstring injury. Munaf Patel for Pankaj Singh is an option, but Warne might prefer an unchanged line-up.

    Rajasthan Royals (probable) 1 Kamran Akmal (wk), 2 Swapnil Asnodkar, 3 Yusuf Pathan, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Mohammad Kaif, 6 Ravindra Jadeja, 7 Niraj Patel, 8 Shane Warne (capt), 9 Sohail Tanvir, 10 Siddharth Trivedi, 11 Pankaj Singh.

    Stats and trivia

  • Warne has taken the most number of wickets during the middle overs (between overs 7 and 14). His 12 wickets have come at an average of 20.33 and an economy rate of 6.97. Chawla is next with ten wickets.

  • Chawla has also conceded the most number of sixes in the tournament - 17. Warne is among three bowlers who are in second place with 16.

  • Rajasthan have been the most disciplined bowling team in the last five overs of a game. They have taken 36 wickets during this period at an average of 13.52 and economy rate of 8.93. Punjab have taken 30 wickets at 19.26 and an economy rate of 9.76.

    • Quotes

    "It is early to think about finals. Our preparation is to win the immediate game and then win the semi-final."
    Yuvraj Singh plays down the mind games ahead of his side's clash against table-topping Rajasthan

    "We also replicate pressure situation of big matches during the course of our practice sessions and it has yielded good results."
    Rajasthan's sports psychologist Jeremy Snape reveals one of the reasons why his team have come out trumps in tight situations

    Sohail TanvirPiyush ChawlaShane WarneShaun MarshRajasthan RoyalsPunjab KingsIndiaIndian Premier League

    S Rajesh is stats editor of Cricinfo