Ahead of the Indian Premier League players' auction on Thursday, captain KL Rahul revealed what his team Punjab Kings will be aiming for -- a middle order batsman, who can close down games along with a fast bowler.
Tim David, Rajat Patidar and Devdutt Padikkal went ballistic with marauding knocks while bowlers came up with a clinical showing as Royal Challengers Bengaluru trounced Chennai Super Kings by 43 runs.
Punjab Kings kept their prospects of making the play-offs alive after a a five-wicket victory over Kolkata Knight Riders in Dubai on Friday. They are placed fifth with 12 points, after five wins and seven defeats. Victory in Sunday's outing will certainly enhance their chances.
The two sides experienced contrasting fortunes in their respective tournament opener.
Images from the IPL match between Punjab Kings and Sunrisers Hyderabad, in Chennai, on Wednesday.
The narrow five-run win over Sunrisers Hyderabad in their IPL in Sharjah on Saturday has given Punjab Kings the self-belief that their bowlers can restrict any opposition if they have a decent score on the board.
Mumbai Indians outlasted Gujarat Titans by 20 runs in a high-scoring IPL Eliminator despite a classy effort from Sai Sudharsan.
As coach Ricky Ponting pointed out, he would expect a better "on his feet" thinking from the young captain.
'At the end of the day, we also had to look at players who will figure in the playing XI.'
Lucknow Super Giants head coach Justin Langer was the brain behind making K L Rahul the 'Impact Player'.
Images from the IPL 2023 match between Lucknow Super Giants vs Punjab Kings played in Lucknow on Saturday
With Mahendra Singh Dhoni being the same player and no one to "bell the cat", CSK are in unusual mess with a mis-firing top-order where the skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad has had to give up his opening slot.
Punjab Kings are placed eighth while Chennai Super Kings occupy the penultimate slot in the 10-team IPL points table.
Chennai Super Kings head into IPL 2026 with a young squad, new signings like Sanju Samson and a focus on rebuilding as Mahendra Singh Dhoni's era nears its final chapter.
Almost out of reckoning for a place in the play-offs, bottom-placed Sunrisers Hyderabad will look to play party-poopers when they take on an equally struggling Punjab Kings in the battle of laggards in the IPL in Sharjah on Saturday.
Since the inaugural edition of IPL in 2008, only four cricketers have played a match in all 18 IPL seasons.
Royal Challengers Bangalore, who have found much-needed momentum towards the business end of IPL 2022, will back themselves to ride past an inconsistent Punjab Kings and get closer to a play-off spot.
Punjab Kings need a big win to keep their IPL 2023 Play-Off hopes alive against wooden spooners Delhi Capitals.
Liam Livingstone and Evin Lewis's explosive batting will meet its match in Chris Gayle's power and KL Rahul's finesse when Rajasthan Royals lock horns with Punjab Kings to improve upon their mid-table position in the Indian Premier League in Dubai on Tuesday.
The Punjab bowlers led by Kagiso Rabada have fared well. But the likes of Vaibhav Arora, Arshdeep Singh along with Rahul Chahar, who has nine wickets, would need to be on the money.
Punjab Kings' stand-in captain Mayank Agarwal says they have not yet discussed if explosive Chris Gayle or Dawid Malan would open the innings alongside him in the absence of KL Rahul, who needs a surgery to treat acute appendicitis.
SRH and PBKS will go all out to snap the two crucial points to nose ahead in the race for play-offs.
Winless after four games, Mumbai Indians will be desperate to reverse the trend when they face Punjab Kings in the IPL 2022 match in Pune on Wednesday.
Chennai Super Kings have so far failed to display the stuff that won them the IPL last season, and new skipper Ravindra Jadeja must seek improvement on multiple fronts against Punjab Kings when they meet at the Brabourne stadium in Mumbai on Sunday.
Mayank Agarwal believes that the franchise has built a title-winning squad for the IPL beginning March 26.
It will not be an easy task for a struggling Punjab side to stand up to the challenge thrown by a RCB team
Captain KL Rahul has been one of the few consistent performers in the formidable-looking Punjab batting unit and he once again led by example against MI
Last season, Punjab finished 6th, narrowly missing on the playoffs.
Titans look to forget Rinku Singh's onslaught against Punjab Kings
Delhi Capitals hardly broke a sweat in the run chase, cantering to victory in 17.4 overs, their sixth win in eight matches.
IMAGES from the match played between Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings in Mumbai on Monday.
Both RCB and PBKS will have new captains at the helm in Faf du Plessis and Mayank Agarwal respectively
Struggling CSK look to turn around fortunes against PBKS
Russell scored an unbeaten 70 off 31 balls and what looked like a tricky chase
Expect some fireworks for the highly-versatile Cameron Green along with Quinton de Kock, Matheesha Pathirana, Venkatesh Iyer and Ravi Bishnoi.
During the pre-match press conference, Patidar locked eyes with the trophy -- a long, lingering stare. Social media lit up. The moment instantly reminded fans of Rohit Sharma's haunting glance at the 2023 World Cup trophy, hours before India's heartbreaking loss in the final.
With Rahul and wife Athiya Shetty expecting their first baby, the senior player could miss a game or two depending on the due date.
All about IPL 2025 which kicks off on March 22, Saturday.
Shreyas Iyer and Shubman Gill, both in strong form after their Champions Trophy triumph with India, look to lead their respective teams, Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, to IPL glory in the 2025 season.
A round-up of Sunday's action in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy group stage matches.
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