In match number 66 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2023 campaign, Punjab Kings lock (PBKS) horns with Rajasthan Royals. Before the match between Punjab and Rajasthan gets underway, let us look at how the two teams stand right now after playing more than 10 games. On one hand, Punjab Kings are virtually knocked out of the tournament with the loss against Delhi Capitals (DC). With this defeat, the Dhawan’s army now sits in the eighth position with 12 points after recording six wins and seven defeats. The Shikhar Dhawan-led side last saw their seventh defeat coming during the match against Delhi Capitals. IPL 2023: ‘Extremely Poor Decision to Ask Him to Come Out’, Mohammad Kaif Slams Punjab Kings for Retiring out Atharva Taide Against Delhi Capitals.

Batting first, Delhi on the back of their top-three batsmen’s wonderful batting display posted a gigantic 213 runs on board. With 214 runs on target, Punjab’s top-order batters got blown away by the Delhi bowlers until a formidable stand was put by batters Atharva Taide (55), who got retired out, and, lone fighter Liam Livingstone (94). Having made the decision to retire out Taide, Punjab paid a big price as Delhi won the match by 15 runs. After getting virtually knocked out, Punjab would want to win their last league stage game and end the tournament on a high note.

For Rajasthan Royals, their IPL 2023 campaign after a brilliant start somehow got crashed as they are currently lying in the sixth place with six wins and seven defeats. Requiring just four points to qualify for the playoffs Rajasthan need to win their upcoming match against Punjab in order to have a shot at qualification. Not only do they need to win by a big margin but they also need the results of other games to go in their favour. Rajasthan in their last game suffered a loss as Royal Challengers Bangalore beat them to record their sixth win of the season.

In-form batsmen, Faf Du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell slammed yet another fifty as Royal Challengers Bangalore reached a competitive total of 171. Chasing 172, RCB bowlers bowled with accurate line and lengths to produce wicket-taking spells as Rajasthan batters were blown by the magnificent bowling effort to get out for only 59. Rajasthan in their next game will aim for nothing but a win.

Ahead of the all-important clash between Punjab and Rajasthan, cricket fans and pundits from all across the world started making their own predictions on who will be the winner for the IPL 2023 match between PBKS and RR, with search engine Giant, Google, also making its opinion. And, according to Google’s prediction, the ultimate winner for the IPL 2023 game between Punjab and Rajasthan is Rajasthan. IPL 2023: Ravi Shastri Selects Yashasvi Jaiswal, Rinku Singh As His Standout Players From the Tournament.

Google Win Probability for the IPL 2023 match between PBKS and RR. (Source: Google)

As per Google’s Win Percentage, the Rajasthan Royal side are the favourites with 53% winning chance and it is also justified, given their form and performance they have put in earlier this season.  The prediction further states that Punjab have got 47% chance of winning the match, stating that the upcoming match might be a close affair. It is a close prediction and considering the depth of both teams, we can expect the contest to be a close encounter. However, there is also a possibility that Punjab may also pull off a win against Rajasthan, provided if they put up their best performance.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 18, 2023 04:01 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).