However, if Gayle opens, it will disturb the balance set by the pair of Mayank Agarwal and skipper KL Rahul. Fellow West Indian Nicholas Pooran might be the one to sit out if Gayle plays.
On the other hand, despite looking like underdogs, Smith's men punched above their weight to spring a surprise against heavyweights Chennai in their opening game. Though skipper opened the innings in the absence of Buttler, the Australian is likely to bat at No 4 on Sunday with in-form Sanju Samson coming in at one drop. David Miller will likely make way for the Englishman after a duck on his debut for Rajasthan.
Having played a match here before, the Men in Pink might have a slight advantage over the conditions, however, it boils down to how they keep the likes of Rahul and Gayle silent. Fast bowler Jofra Archer was the only bowler to concede less than seven runs per over in the last game and Rajasthan will once again bank on him as they aim for a second straight triumph.
That said, though Rajasthan have a better head to head record against Punjab with 10 wins in 19 games, they have lost six of the eight matches since 2014.
