IPL 2023: 3 Players Who Will Be Crucial for Punjab Kings to Win PBKS vs RR Match No. 66

IPL 2023: Punjab Kings suffered a heartbreaking loss against the Delhi Capitals in the last game on Wednesday. That defeat shattered all their hopes of qualifying for the next round. PBKS is currently sitting in 8th place with 12 points in 13 games and a NRR of -0.308. They are left to play one more game, which will be against the Rajasthan Royals.

The game will take place at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala on Friday. It is a dead rubber game, as both teams can’t qualify despite winning that. But if you have followed this season closely, then you can understand that everything is still not lost. PBKS can still qualify with 14 points; for that, they need to win the next game by a big margin and hope that some other results can go their way. In this article, we will talk about three important Punjab players in PBKS vs RR Match No. 66.

IPL 2023: 3 Key Players for Punjab Kings in PBKS vs RR Match No. 66

3. Prabhsimran Singh

Prabhsimran Singh has been the find of the season for the Punjab Kings. The 22-year-old is the joint-highest run scorer for the franchise in the ongoing tournament. He is also the only one to score a century in the IPL 2023 for his team. Simran has been playing well and giving good starts to the team. He is an attacking player and likes to score in the powerplay.

So far, he has scored 356 runs in 13 innings at an average of 27.38 and a strike rate of 150.85, with a best of 103. He has also scored one century and one half-century with 19 sixes in this competition. Simran will be a key for PBKS to get off to a good start against RR. Because a good start can help other hitters come and score quickly.

2. Shikhar Dhawan

PBKS skipper Shikhar Dhawan is the backbone of the team. He is probably the most complete batter in the lineup and has been in decent form this season. But he got out on a golden duck in the last game against DC, which somehow affected the result. However, he will look to take his team home in the last group match this season.

Dhawan has made 356 runs in just 10 innings at an average and strike rate of 44.50 and 142.97, with a best of 99 not out. The left-hander has also scored three half-centuries. Speaking of his personal record, if he can score 44 more runs in the last game, he will become the first player to score 400 or more runs in 10 IPL seasons. Dhawan will look to end the season on a high note and win their last game.

1. Liam Livingstone

The English all-rounder Liam Livingstone nearly pulled off an incredible win for Punjab in the previous match against DC. He registered his career-best IPL score and made 94 off 48, with five fours and nine maximums. However, the rest didn’t go as expected, and Punjab came close to elimination. But with the form, Livingstone is in, we can expect more fireworks on Friday.

Because he is a one-man show and can take the game away single-handedly. So far, Livingstone has scored 270 runs in 8 innings at an average of 38.57 and a brilliant strike rate of 170.89. He has also smashed 19 sixes, and we are up for more. Livingstone will be a big wicket for RR on Friday because they can’t afford to let him get away.