Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) are two of the oldest franchises in the IPL but it's only in the last four years that they have developed a rivalry (kind of). It's not a personal or conditional rivalry but one based on skill.
This has mostly been due to a lot of last-over finishes going either side, featuring Rahul Tewatia and Sanju Samson. Then, there have been some testy moments - like Ravichandran Ashwin running Jos Buttler out at the non-striker's end.
This season, the two sides might be on opposite halves of the table but look quite evenly matched on skill and drive. The only difference has been the form of some PBKS players and their on-field execution of plans in crunch situations. Hosting the table-leaders in Mullanpur might just wake them up for the rest of the season.
On that note, let's look at three bowlers who we think can have the biggest say in the contest:
#3 Harshal Patel
We have said it many times here but the Mullanpur pitch has always looked tailor-made for Harshal Patel. The right-arm seamer conceded just 7.5 runs per over against SRH at the venue, taking the big wickets of Heinrich Klaasen and Rahul Tripathi.
He can have a similar impact against RR's big hitters on Saturday. In 12 IPL matches against the franchise, he has picked up 18 wickets at an average of 16.22 - his second-best against any opponent in the tournament.
RR are clicking as a team but their batting still has creases of the shakiness of previous years with an out-of-form Yashasvi Jaiswal, a risky ploy of putting R. Ashwin in the middle order and a mostly untested lower order. If he gets his plans right, Harshal could have another good wicket-taking day in Mullanpur.
#2 Trent Boult
PBKS' last match against SRH in Mullanpur offered a good T20 wicket with a lot on offer for pacers. Fifteen wickets fell in the match but none to a spinner. In such conditions, it's impossible to ignore Trent Boult despite his lukewarm form.
With five wickets in as many matches, Boult has had a couple of brilliant outings and some poor ones. Most of his struggles have been on turning tracks as his variations haven't quite landed like usual in IPL 2024.
But Mullanpur would help him. And so would PBKS' top-order of Shikhar Dhawan, Jonny Bairstow, and Prabhsimran Singh who are all still trying to find consistency in the tournament while also having a history of struggles against swing.
PBKS' famed lower-order pair of Shashank Singh and Ashutosh Sharma hasn't yet faced a bowler of his quality either and it would at least be a battle worth watching.
#1 Arshdeep Singh
In what was great news not only for PBKS in IPL 2024 but also for India for the T20 World Cup, Arshdeep Singh hit form against SRH with a brilliant spell of 4/29. He was taking wickets before as well but the match showed his complete range as a strike-bowler who could bowl in all phases of an innings.
There's no reason for that to stop now, especially against his favorite team in the IPL. Arshdeep has as many as 15 wickets in just seven matches against RR at his IPL-best average of 17.33. In those seven matches, he has only gone wicketless once and his best IPL spell of 5/32 came versus RR in Dubai in IPL 2021.
Jaiswal, Ashwin, Samson, and Jos Buttler have all gotten out to him previously and he'd be raring to eke out his good form.
