IPL 2023: 3 surprise Dream11 fantasy team picks for PBKS vs RR match

The final phase of the IPL 2023 league stage begins tonight. Each team is left with only one match in the first round of the tournament. Punjab Kings (PBKS) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will play their respective final league-stage matches of the season tonight at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala.

Both PBKS and RR are in the lower half of the points table. Even if they win by a big margin tonight, the winning team will not be guaranteed a place in the top 4.

Rajasthan and Punjab started the season well but lost momentum as the competition progressed. Despite having some of the biggest names in T20 cricket like Jos Buttler, Trent Boult, Liam Livingstone, Sikandar Raza, Kagiso Rabada and Sam Curran, both teams find themselves on the verge of an early elimination from the race to the IPL 2023 playoffs.

Neverthless, both teams will aim to play their best tonight and end the league stage with a victory. Dream11 users will closely follow the match between Punjab Kings and Rajasthan Royals.

Before the fantasy teams are locked in, here's a look at the top three surprise picks for tonight's match.

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#1 Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals

Sanju Samson is the captain of the Rajasthan Royals team (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Rajasthan Royals skipper Sanju Samson has not had the best IPL season in 2023. The right-handed batter has played 13 matches for the Jaipur-based franchise, scoring 360 runs at an average of 32.72. He has registered three half-centuries in the tournament so far.

Fans had high hopes from him when RR lost their first wicket early in their previous home match against the Royal Challengers Bangalore. However, Samson could contribute only four runs.

Looking at his performance in the last match, several fantasy users would be reluctant to pick him in their Dream11 teams. However, they must note that the pitch in Dharamsala is great for batting, and someone like Samson can score big if he gets going.

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#2 Jos Buttler, Rajasthan Royals

Jos Buttler has had a disappointing IPL 2023 season as well (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Another Rajasthan Royals batter who has failed to match expectations this season is Jos Buttler. The England captain was in splendid touch last season, where he smashed four centuries and even won the Orange Cap.

This year, Buttler has recorded four half-centuries and four ducks in 13 matches. He has aggregated 392 runs at an average of 30.5. However, Buttler should be picked in tonight's fantasy contests because the pitch is excellent for batting.

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#3 Shikhar Dhawan, Punjab Kings

Shikhar Dhawan lost his wicket for a duck against Delhi Capitals on Wednesday in IPL 2023 (Image Courtesy: IPLT20.com)

Shikhar Dhawan has amassed 356 runs in 10 matches of IPL 2023, but in the last match at the HPCA Stadium, the Punjab Kings captain got out for a duck. He lost his wicket to Ishant Sharma on the first ball that he faced.

Dhawan's recent form may not be the best but he has a decent record against the Rajasthan Royals. In the first meeting between RR and PBKS in IPL 2023, Dhawan played a match-winning knock of 86 runs for his side. Hence, it would be a big mistake to leave him out of fantasy teams for tonight's contest.