Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag won the toss and opted to bowl first against Punjab Kings at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium.

Both sides have gone in with a couple of changes as they look to adjust combinations for this crucial clash.

For Rajasthan, Shimron Hetmyer misses out and Dasun Shanaka comes into the XI. In another notable change, Ravi Bishnoi also misses out, with Yash Thakur getting an opportunity.

Punjab Kings have also made a few changes to their lineup. Suryansh Shedge replaces Shashank Singh in the XI, while Lockie Ferguson comes in for Xavier Bartlett.

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

Impact Subs: Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Xavier Bartlett, Harpreet Brar, Musheer Khan

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

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

PBKS vs RR: Captains take at the toss

Riyan Parag felt the surface looks good overall but expects some early assistance for the bowlers due to the conditions.

“Looks like a pretty good wicket, but there was a bit of cloud cover and even a slight shower earlier, so there could be some moisture at the start. We are looking to make the most of that, try to pick up a few early wickets and then back ourselves to chase it down.”

Shreyas Iyer highlighted the clarity in the team’s approach and the consistency they have shown throughout the season.

“All the individuals in the team have a clear goal in mind and we are well aware of what we want to achieve eventually. Our focus has been on maintaining the right mindset, setting standards and sticking to our values from the very first match, and that approach has worked really well for us so far.”

Also READ: Cricket news in India