Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab will kick start their IPL campaign at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Friday. Both Royals and Kings XI will know that there are other teams in the tournament who are more fancied to win the title and these two teams will have to play out of their skins to reach the top four. Royals and Kings will look to get points from this match because it will become difficult for them as the tournament progress.

There are some good players who will take the centre stage in Jaipur. Let’s have a look at some of the players from both the teams who will be key players for their team’s success.

Rajasthan Royals

Rahul Dravid: Dravid retired from the international circuit and has said that he is more keen and focused going into IPL-5. Rajasthan will miss their iconic captain Shane Warne, but they have replaced him with another genius in the form of Dravid. Not only will Dravid lead the side, he will also lead their batting line-up. Shane Watson will miss the match because he is playing for his national side and it will mean that Dravid will have extra responsibly on his shoulders. Dravid in the past has shown that is a very efficient player in this format as well and he will be looking to lead his side from the front. Not to forget, Dravid hit three consecutive sixes in his last T20 match.

Ajinkya Rahane: Rahane played some brilliant innings when India toured England last year. Rahane hit the likes of James Anderson and Stuart Broad all round the park in some of the innings. Rajasthan always depend on their local lads and this time Rahane will lead the pack. Rahane also has the opportunity to put his name in contention for the national side by showing his worth in the Royals team. Rahane has a short built but can play some very big shots.

Johan Botha: Captain of the South African T20 side, Botha is a very efficient cricketer. He can bowl at any stage of the match and can turn the match on its head. Botha bowls with a lot of variations and is very hard to get away. He is equally valuable with the bat and played some match winning knocks last season. Botha is a very important cricketer for in the Royals armory.
Shaun Tait: Any bowler who can bowls at the speed of 150 km is dangerous in this format, Tait can do exactly that. Tait can be wayward at times, but when he is in rhythm he can dismantle any batting unit. He can be very dangerous with his accurate Yorkers and some killer bouncers.

Kings XI Punjab

Adam Gilchrist: He has been one of the most explosive batsmen in the history of cricket. Gilchrist can win a match on his own and took Deccan to the title in IPL-2. He however, failed make a mark with his new team in the last season and will be desperate to change that. Gilchrist has some of the best shots in his armory and is super fit. He will look to provide the initial momentum to his team.

Paul Valthaty: He was the find of IPL-4. His innings against Chennai was adjudged the best innings of the tournament. All eyes will once again be on this talented opener. Valthaty can play some very attacking shots early in his innings and is a able partner of Gilchrist. The fate of the team from Punjab rests heavily on this elegant batsman.

Piyush Chawla: Chawla is one of the leading wicket takers in all the IPLs. He is an efficient leg-spinner and has represented India a number of times. Chawla has the ability to induce batsmen to play wrong shots and is a genuine wicket-taker. He will lead the spin bowling unit for the Kings and will provide that stability in the middle overs.

Praveen Kumar: Praveen Kumar has been struggling with his performance at the international level in the recent past. He performed exceptionally when India toured England but failed to make any impression in either the Commonwealth Bank Series in Australia. Praveen Kumar can bowl some good slower deliveries which can come in very handy in T20 cricket. He looks to swing the new ball and will be hoping to provide Kings XI early breakthroughs. 

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