The cool breeze blowing across the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is rather a relief on this scorching Saturday afternoon. At the nets, Jos Buttler is taking on Avesh Khan.
Buttler is one of Rajasthan Royals’ most familiar faces, having joined the franchise in 2018, but Avesh is sporting pink for the first time, after being traded by Lucknow Super Giants for Devdutt Padikkal.
Interestingly, Royals is taking on his former team in the first game for both the sides in Season 17 of the IPL.
For the moment, he is involved in an interesting battle at the nets. Soon after being lofted over long-off area by England’s white-ball captain, Avesh forces a thick outside edge. A little later, Yashasvi Jaiswal, who has proved such a wise investment for Royals, walks in.
Buttler and Jaiswal are one of the most explosive and gifted opening pairs in the IPL. Jaiswal rarely puts a foot wrong these days, while Buttler has been one of the league’s most successful batters.
Captain Sanju Samson, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rovman Powell make it a formidable batting line-up.
In the exceptional spin duo of R. Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal and the experienced seamer Trent Boult, the bowling looks balanced.
For LSG, the absence of the English pacers Mark Wood and David Willey may be a setback, but the West Indies quick Shamar Joseph’s is among the season’s most awaited debuts.
Skipper K.L. Rahul, who is returning from injury, Quinton de Kock, Nicholas Pooran and Kyle Mayers promise runs aplenty.
