IPL 2021: 2 Punjab Kings' players who should not start against RR
It will be the Punjab Kings locking horns with Rajasthan Royals at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai for the fourth match of the 2021 IPL season. This will be the first match of the season for both teams and they will be raring to go.
The Rajasthan Royals will be led by wicket-keeper batsman Sanju Samson as they look to begin the season on a high. They finished bottom of the table last season and will look to make amends this season.
They parted ways with big hitters like Robin Uthappa and Steve Smith. Chris Morris and Shivam Dube have been brought in to the team and RR will be hoping they can fire on all cylinders.
The new-look Punjab Kings have an extraordinary squad at their disposal and there will be a lot of headaches for coach Anil Kumble to select who can make his team's playing XI. The top order consists of heavy hitters like KL Rahul, Chris Gayle and Mayank Agarwal.
However, some of the players haven't been in their best form lately and playing them could prove to be a fatal move for Punjab Kings. Here, we take a look at those players who should not start against the RR.
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Chris Jordan - He was expensive for the Punjab Kings
Although Chris Jordan is considered one of the best all-rounders in the world, he hasn't been able to replicate his success in the Indian Premier League. Chris Jordan has been vastly inconsistent and has been one of the most expensive bowlers.
In the 20 IPL matches he has played, he has taken 21 wickets at a poor economy rate of 9.33 runs per over. With the Rajasthan Royals line-up consisting of several big hitters including the likes of Ben Stokes, Jos Buttler and Liam Livingstone, the Punjab Kings should not include Chris Jordan in their starting XI and could opt to start Moises Henriques ahead of him.
Sarfaraz Khan - He had a poor IPL last year for the Punjab Kings
Sarfaraz Khan, the 23-year-old middle-order batsman, was one of the weakest links in PBKS's squad last season. After a spectacular 2019 IPL season, Sarfaraz Khan hit an all-time low in the 2020 IPL, scoring only 33 runs from 5 matches at a substandard average of 16.50.
He hasn't been able to make much of an impact in domestic cricket either. With the likes of Mandeep Singh, Deepak Hooda and Shahrukh Khan performing steadily, it wouldn't be a surprise if PBKS dropped Sarfaraz Khan against RR.