Sanju Samson will like to continue his dream form while the presence of Jos Buttler puts Rajasthan Royals on even keel with Kings XI Punjab in an IPL game which promises to be yet another six-hitting contest.
Both teams are coming off wins from their previous games and are likely to make changes to their playing XI. While Rajasthan will be bolstered by the availability of wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler who has completed the six-day quarantine after reaching UAE with his family, Punjab will look to exploit the conditions by bringing in big-hitter Chris Gayle. That he has a good record against leg-spinners will also make a case for him to be included in the XI with Rajasthan having two leg-spinners in Rahul Tewatia and Shreyas Gopal.
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.
Indian Premier League IPL 2020 RR vs KXIP Dream11 team for Rajasthan Royals vs Kings XI Punjab:
RR vs KXIP My Dream11 Team captain: Lokesh Rahul
RR vs KXIP My Dream11 Team vice-captain: Steven Smith
Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Karun Nair, Mayank Agarwal, Robin Uthappa, Riyan Parag, Ravi Bishnoi, Sheldon Cottrell, Mohammed Shami