Although it is still early in the season, the surfaces at IPL's newest venue, Mullanpur, appear to favour fast bowlers. In the two matches played so far, 30 wickets have fallen - 27 taken by the bowlers and three as run-outs. Of these, 23 wickets have been taken by the quicks. There was plenty of movement and carry under the lights when Punjab Kings took on Sunrisers Hyderabad at this venue on Tuesday, with run-scoring not so easy early on.
These numbers reflect that Mullanpur has the best average for fast bowlers (19.7) and the lowest run rate (7.7) in the powerplay among all the venues in IPL 2024 so far. In two games, nine wickets have fallen in the first six overs here, which is joint second with Mumbai. This season, only Jaipur has seen more wickets fall in the powerplay, but four games have already been played there.
Will this affect Rajasthan Royals, who are entering the game after suffering their first defeat in IPL 2024 on Wednesday? No, on the contrary, they might be the happier side. The Royals' fast bowlers have taken nine wickets in the powerplay at an average of 24.3, the best among all teams in the tournament. Kings are also not far behind, averaging 26.6 runs per wicket in the powerplay, which could make for an interesting battle at the top.
The Royals must be cautious not to repeat history. In IPL 2023, they started strong, losing only one of their first five games, and seemed destined for the playoffs. However, they won only three of their next nine matches and failed to qualify for the knockouts. In IPL 2024, they have won four of their first five games, but they must learn from their mistakes and ensure a better outcome this time.