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IPL: Desperate Rajasthan face Punjab in must-win tie (Preview)
Jaipur, May 7 (IANS) Desperate to stay alive in the Indian Premier League (IPL), bottom-placed Rajasthan Royals will be aim to avenge Sunday’s six-wicket loss to Kings XI Punjab (KXIP), when the two sides face off at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, here on Tuesday.
The Ajinkya Rahane-led side succumbed to their third loss in a row, after being hammered by Punjab at the Holkar Stadium in Indore on Sunday and now need to win all their remaining five matches to keep themselves alive in the tournament.
Rajasthan have just six points with three wins from nine games while Punjab are placed third after six wins from nine games and 12 points in their kitty.
Another win for Punjab will almost seal them a play-off berth and a defeat will be the end of the road for Rajasthan.
Nothing has clicked for Rajasthan this season with all the departments failing to come together as a unit.
Skipper Rahane has been average with the bat while all-rounder Ben Stokes and Rahul Tripathi have also failed to fire.
Only young Sanju Samson has single-handedly carried Rajashthan’s batting on his shoulders, amassing 310 runs from nine games, averaging 38.75.
Stokes, the most expensive buy at the 2018 IPL auctions, has failed miserably both with the bat and ball.
The English all-rounder has scored just 160 runs from nine innings while picking up just two wickets.
Among the bowlers, young seamer Jofra Archer has done well to claim eight wickets from four matches while this IPL’s costliest buy Jaydev Unadkat have also been amongst the wickets.
Rajasthan’s main concern will be the form of their spinners — Shreyas Gopal and Krishnappa Gowtham — who have so far failed to hunt as a pair.
While Gopal has six wickets from seven games, Gowtham has bagged six wickets from nine matches.
On the other hand, Punjab’s batting this season mostly relies on the opening combination of Chris Gayle and Lokesh Rahul, who have consistently given great starts to their side.
While the caribbean batsman has accumulated 310 runs from just six games, averaging 149.75, Rahul has 376 runs from nine games.
Karun Nair has also been impressive after 240 runs from eight innings but veteran Yuvraj Singh, Aaron Finch and Mayank Agarwal are yet to make their presence felt in the middle-order.
The trio’s consistent poor form will be a cause of concern for the team management and this is high time for them to come out with their best.
In the bowling department, skipper Ravichandran Ashwin, along with medium-pacer Mohit Sharma add depth to the line-up.
Also, pacers Barinder Sran and Andrew Tye, and Afghan spinner Mujeeb ur Rahman shoulder the bulk of the responsibility.
While Australian Tye has 12 wickets from nine games with an economy of 7.69, pacer Ankit Rajpoot and Mujeeb Ur Rahman have eight and 12 wickets each.
Overall, Rajasthan will be hoping for a win against Punjab at home as two of the three victories have come here.
Squads:
Rajasthan Royals: Ben Stokes, Stuart Binny, Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler (WK), Rahul Tripathi, D’Arcy Short, Krishnappa Gowtham, Jofra Archer, Dhawal Kulkarni, Jaydev Unadkat, Ankit Sharma, Anureet Singh, Shreyas Gopal, Prashant Chopra, Sudhesan Midhun, Ben Laughlin, Mahipal Lomror, Aryaman Birla, Jatin Saxena, Dushmantha Chameera, Ajinkya Rahane(Captain), Heinrich Klaasen, Ish Sodhi.
Kings XI Punjab: Axar Patel, Ravichandran Ashwin (Captain), Yuvraj Singh, Karun Nair, Lokesh Rahul (WK), Chris Gayle, David Miller, Aaron Finch, Marcus Stoinis, Mayank Agarwal, Ankit Rajpoot, Manoj Tiwary, Mohit Sharma, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Barinder Sran, Andrew Tye, Akshdeep Nath, Ben Dwarshuis, Pardeep Sahu, Mayank Dagar, Manzoor Dar.
–IANS
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Dr. Abhishek Verma Dedicates a Shelter in Memory of His Mother, Veena Verma, at KGMU; Inaugurated by Daughter Nicolle Verma
World-renowned business tycoon Dr. Abhishek Verma has supported Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission. In memory of his mother, Late Veena Verma, who was a 3 term Rajya Sabha MP.
Dr. Verma dedicated a state-of-the-art free permanent shelter for the attendants of patients at KGMU Medical University, Lucknow, under the aegis of Vijay Shree Foundation. His daughter, Nicolle Verma, inaugurated the shelter.
During the event, Foodman Vishal Singh honored Nicolle Verma by presenting her with a memento. Mrs. Nidhi Sharma and Avantika Yadav, associated with the organization, welcomed her with garlands. Following this, Nicolle Verma distributed essential items to the attendants and also handed out fruits. She became emotional remembering her grandmother on her birth anniversary.
On this occasion, she also inaugurated the “Veena Verma Sevalaya” in memory of her grandmother, Veena Verma, to serve the attendants. She expressed, “I feel proud that my family is engaged in nation-building as well as social service. Today, in collaboration with Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh Ji, I feel immensely proud to dedicate this shelter for the poor, helpless, and needy attendants of patients battling serious illnesses like cancer. I am honored to be associated with the Hunger-Free World Mission for humanity.”
Inspired by the continuous humanitarian service provided by Vijay Shree Foundation over the past 17 years, Nicolle Verma donated 10 lakh rupees to support the cause. The purpose of this donation is to ensure that services continue for the needy attendants of patients suffering from severe illnesses in hospitals, as facilitated by Foodman Vishal Singh.
It is noteworthy that Dr. Abhishek Verma’s family has a legacy of public and philanthropic service. They are helping millions to carry forward the values and service work of their parents. On the occasion of his mother’s birth anniversary, Dr. Abhishek Verma dedicated this state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College to serve the attendants of patients through the Vijay Shree Foundation.
Supporting Foodman Vishal Singh’s Hunger-Free World mission, Dr. Abhishek Verma assured that he would continually support keeping this flame of humanity alive. He also promised to assist in providing medicines to the helpless patients.
Continuing her grandmother’s legacy of service, Nicolle Verma personally served food to the needy patients and attendants. She said, “It is our good fortune to have received the joy of doing this noble work today through Foodman Vishal Singh. I have taken another step forward in carrying my family’s values and cooperation by joining hands with the Vijay Shree Foundation. My father taught me to serve and help the needy, and I feel happy when I bring a smile to someone’s face.”
On the birth anniversary of the late Veena Verma, the event organizer, Vijay Shree Foundation founder Foodman Vishal Singh, said, “We feel proud and happy that Dr. Abhishek Verma, a globally renowned business tycoon, has extended his support to uplift our country from the hunger index. Today, on his mother’s birth anniversary, he inaugurated a state-of-the-art permanent shelter at Lucknow Medical College, which will always be helpful for the needy attendants of patients. It is a pleasure for me and the organization to receive the affection of Mr. Verma.”
The event was attended by General Manager Verma Family Office Hemant Garg, Sonu Rajput, and the organization’s volunteers, including Sandeep Singh, Parmeshwar Ji, Prashant Rao Gautam, Balram Singh, Ramesh Chaudhary, Suman, Jeetu, Anil, Suraj, Vinay, Manish Bhadauria, Manas Mehrotra, Vivek, Apurv, Happy, and others.