IPL 2021, PBKS vs RR: 3 players battles to watch out for

Match 4 of IPL 2021 will see the Rajasthan Royals take on Punjab Kings at Wankhede Stadium on Monday (April 12). Heading into the new season, the KL Rahul-led outfit will look to get their hands on the IPL trophy for the first time after a disappointing sixth place finish in the previous edition.

RR, on the other hand, ended with the wooden spoon last season. With a new skipper in Sanju Samson, they will look to get their hands on the trophy again after becoming the first team to win the IPL in the inaugural edition.

In the past, PBKS and RR have both been teams that have managed to go about their business quietly and looked to punch above their own weight. But this time around, both teams will aim to start with a bang and find some early momentum, something that did not materialise over the course of IPL 2020.

Ahead of their season opener, here are the player battles to keep an eye on in the RR vs PBKS game.

1) KL Rahul vs Shreyas Gopal - when guile meets flamboyance

It took a good ODI series against England for KL Rahul to roar back into form, and now he's leading the side as a proven matchwinner. At the other end, Shreyas has been one of RR's most successful bowlers since 2018, bagging 41 wickets at an economy of 7.82.

The contest will be between Gopal's deceiving slow tweakers and Rahul's strong technique. That said, this encounter will be a tussle and the Karnataka batsman has generally enjoyed a good run against the Punjab side in the previous editions.

2) Ben Stokes vs Mohammad Shami - battle of the T20 stars

Mohammad Shami has evolved into a solid pacer over the years and has been crucial to the national team's fortunes. He will be up against the hard-hitting Ben Stokes and will look to get the better of the England star early on.

Stokes was promoted up the order last season and RR just might continue to experiment to get the most out of the England all-rounder with the bat.

3) Jhye Richardson vs Chris Morris - clash of IPL 2021's million-dollar babies

An Aussie quick going up against a South African all-rounder. Both players were expensive acquisitions at this year's IPL Auction, costing INR 14 crore and INR 16.25 crore respectively. While Richardson will be making his debut, Morris has a fair share of IPL experience.

Both players will look to justify the hefty price tag and while Morris is already a reliable asset, Richardson might just be the surprise breakout star in this IPL.