Rajasthan Royals chose to bowl first against Punjab Kings, with both captains noting early moisture on a surface that had been under covers.

Rajasthan Royals chose to bowl first, with Riyan Parag pointing to early moisture after recent rain. He said the surface looked good but expected some help upfront, and backed his side to make use of it and chase later. Rajasthan made two changes, bringing in Dasun Shanaka for Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Punja for Ravi Bishnoi.

Punjab Kings would have preferred to bowl as well. Shreyas Iyer said the pitch had been under covers for days but added that his side stays flexible regardless of the toss. They made two changes, with Suryansh Shedge replacing Shashank and Lockie Ferguson coming in for Xavier Bartlett. Iyer said the focus remains on maintaining standards and carrying momentum through the tournament.

Rajasthan Royals Playing XI:
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Dasun Shanaka, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma, Yash Punja

Impact Player Options:
Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Ravi Bishnoi, Ravi Singh

Punjab Kings Playing XI:
Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (wk), Cooper Connolly, Shreyas Iyer (c), Suryansh Shedge, Nehal Wadhera, Marcus Stoinis, Marco Jansen, Lockie Ferguson, Arshdeep Singh, Yuzvendra Chahal

Impact Player Options:
Musheer Ahmed Khan, Vishnu Vinod, Vyshak Vijaykumar, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar

Pitch report – New Chandigarh is set for runs, with short square boundaries and a surface that looks closer to a 200-plus pitch than a tricky one. There is some grass, which could aid seam and swing early, making the new ball key. With little dew expected, teams may prefer chasing to judge the surface. Pace attacks on both sides have enough variety to test batters upfront, but if they miss their lengths, this could quickly turn into a high-scoring game.

Punjab Kings in control, Royals searching for balance

Punjab Kings have been the most consistent side this season. They remain unbeaten past the halfway mark and sit top of the table. Their wins have been comfortable. Chases have not gone deep, and they even defended a total with ease earlier. The batting has driven this run. Prabhsimran Singh, Priyansh Arya, Cooper Connolly and Shreyas Iyer have all delivered, scoring quickly and consistently. The bowling, though, remains a concern with no standout wicket-taker.

Rajasthan Royals started well but have slowed down. The top order continues to contribute, led by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal. The middle order is an issue, with Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer struggling. Jofra Archer has been sharp, but support has been inconsistent.

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