Punjab Kings choose to bowl in their first home game; Samson back as Royals captain

Playing their first home game of IPL 2025, Punjab Kings (PBKS) won the toss and opted to bowl against Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the new Mullanpur venue. With conditions at the ground still largely unknown, PBKS skipper Shreyas Iyer cited the potential impact of dew as a key reason behind the decision.

This marks the second consecutive match where PBKS have chosen to bowl first. They made one change from their previous starting XI, bringing in Nehal Wadhera for Priyansh Arya. Wadhera had made a strong impression as an Impact Sub in the last game with an unbeaten 43 off 25 balls and was rewarded with a spot in the starting XI—and a formal cap presentation. Arya, meanwhile, remains available on the bench and could feature in the second innings as a substitute.

For Rajasthan Royals, Sanju Samson returned to the side as captain and wicketkeeper after missing the first three games in a full role due to a finger injury. Speaking ahead of the match, Samson said he had felt “restless and helpless” watching from the dugout and was eager to be back leading the side.

The only other change for RR saw Yudhvir Singh come into the pace attack in place of Tushar Deshpande, who was sidelined with a minor injury. Riyan Parag, who had led in Samson’s absence, handed the captaincy back.

Rajasthan Royals Playing XI:

1. Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2. Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 3. Nitish Rana, 4. Riyan Parag, 5. Dhruv Jurel, 6. Shimron Hetmyer, 7. Wanindu Hasaranga, 8. Jofra Archer, 9. Maheesh Theekshana, 10. Yudhvir Singh, 11. Sandeep Sharma
   Impact Sub Bench: Kunal Singh Rathore, Shubham Dubey, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal

Punjab Kings Playing XI:

1. Prabhsimran Singh (wk), 2. Shreyas Iyer (capt), 3. Nehal Wadhera, 4. Glenn Maxwell, 5. Marcus Stoinis, 6. Shashank Singh, 7. Suryansh Shedge, 8. Marco Jansen, 9. Lockie Ferguson, 10. Arshdeep Singh, 11. Yuzvendra Chahal
   Impact Sub Bench: Priyansh Arya, Harpreet Brar, Pravin Dubey, Vishnu Vinod, Vijaykumar Vyshak

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