🏏IPL 2025 - Match 59: PBKS vs RR on 18th May 2025 at SMS, Jaipur🏏 - Page 3

This is a game that Punjab Kings, meanwhile, will see as a must-win. Their last two games are tough assignments against Mumbai Indians and Delhi Capitals, and they will want the buffer of being on 17 points heading into either of those games. The advantage for Punjab is that all three matches are set to be played in Jaipur, becoming a proxy home venue for them: they will have plenty of time to get accustomed to conditions and figure out what the best approach to games at this venue will be. PBKS aren’t officially through even if they win today, but you have to imagine there isn’t a world in which Shreyas Iyer’s men fail to make the playoffs if they win today, with the momentum that would give them.

PBKS start favourites!

RR vs PBKS IPL 2025 Live Updates, Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings: Punjab Kings will look to renew their bid for a playoff berth with another commanding performance here on Sunday against Rajasthan Royals, who have failed to rise above mediocrity despite possessing the resources this season.

PBKS' solid Indian core!

RR vs PBKS IPL 2025 Live Updates, Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings: PBKS boasts a solid Indian core in batting line-up—with captain Shreyas Iyer, openers Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, and Nehal Wadhera—which has helped the team remain largely unaffected by the departure of foreign players.

PBKS to miss two Aussie stars!

RR vs PBKS IPL 2025 Live Updates, Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings: Punjab Kings coach James Hopes has confirmed the availability of overseas stars for the mega clash, while he also revealed a couple of Aussie stars are yet to reach India.

"We do not have a complete squad. We hope that Marcus Stoinis and Josh Inglis join us early next week, but to be honest, I'm pretty bullish on the depth in our squad, like we have Mitchell Owens here. Marco Jansen arrives today, he has been training in Dubai. Outside of those two Australians and Aaron Hardie, we have got our full squad," James Hopes said ahead of the match on Saturday.

Samson set to return but no Archer for Royals!

Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings: Sanju Samson is set to return after recovering from the injury which ruled him out of multiple matches before the break. However, the Royals will be missing the services of Jofra Archer who has not returned to India for the resumption.

Thanks for the tag Madhu.

May the best team win.

Cheers..

Hello and welcome to our live coverage of Match 59! After a break of 10 days, IPL returned last night, however, the match between RCB and KKR got washed out due to rain, eliminating the defending champions out of the tournament. Today, Punjab Kings will lock horns with Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur. Shreyas Iyer has been in prime form this season and so have been the Punjab Kings openers. Their bowlers have clicked together as a unit, hence Punjab are in contention to lift the title this season. Facing an opposition like Rajasthan Royals will simplify things further as the Royals have been a pale shadow of their previous year. Without Buttler’s presence in their top order, they have looked handicapped despite having some exciting young Indian batters. Will the Kings topple the Royals and inch closer to the top of the table today? We shall find out soon, stay around for the toss and teams..

Hello and welcome to ESPNcricinfo's live coverage of the first of today's double-header games. IPL 2025 resumed yesterday, but weather played a dampener on both KKR's slim playoff dreams and RCB fans' tribute in white to Virat Kohli. But today, it's a hot, sunny day in Jaipur, and we should be in for plenty of action with Punjab Kings looking to put one foot in the playoffs as they take on Rajasthan Royals, who have little more than pride to play for. I'm Abhimanyu and I'll be joined by S Sudarshanan, as we bring you all the action from the Sawai Mansingh Stadium.

Pitch and Conditions: "It is another afternoon game here in Jaipur and my word it is hot. It is around 45 degrees. The surface we are using today is kind of in the center, there is a little bit of a bias, the longer side is 67 meters and the shorter side is 63, straight down is 73. The heat is going to play a part here. The pitch is already hot and warm, they (groundstaff) have tried with the hessian to maintain the moisture. The grass on it is trying to keep it together, so that it does not break up and it is doing a decent job. The average first innings score for an afternoon game is around 180 and you will be in the game. There is a lot more grass at one end and I won't be surprised if the spinners bowl from the other end predominantly. If I win the toss because of the heat I would want to field in the second half. The way to go these days is to bat second and know what you are chasing, however the sun might have something to say about it," inform Deep Dasgupta and Pommie Mbangwa.

Mustafa Moudi: "So Actually Today is the IPL Restarting, and not yesterday. Yesterday was a special ceremony as a Tribute For Virat Kohli, who recently Retired from the Longest Format !!"

Tee: "How's the weather looking today?" Bright and sunny in Jaipur. It is also quite hot, at around 41 degrees celsius, so it's going to be a challenging afternoon for the team fielding first. But we should get a full game!

Will PBKS' new boys Mitch Owen and Kyle Jamieson get a game? Will Sanju Samson's return be a late-season fillip for Rajasthan Royals? All your questions are answered in our preview.

Sanket: "Punjab is scheduled to play their 3 remaining games in Jaipur only and this could create a bit of problem for their batting side. If you look at their batting line up Prabh, Priyanshu, Shreyas all these batters loves ball coming on to the the bat nicely but this Swai Mansingh stadium surface doesn't have that kind of bounce and pace. especially in the day game, surface generally gets slower and slower as the game progress and bowlers use slower ones, cutters more than pace on deliveries."