Rajasthan Royals vs Punjab Kings, 9th Match - Live Cricket Score, Commentary

Build up

Chris Gayle hasn't featured so far for Kings XI Punjab this edition. He wasn't expected to be the first name on the sheet anyway when the tournament began with young Nicholas Pooran constantly on the ascendancy coupled with the fact that Gayle turned 41 recently. And it's not like Kings XI are missing Gayle anyway. Pooran hasn't been amongst the runs but KXIP still managed to win big in their last game and should have won the clash against Delhi Capitals as well. In spite that, social media is abuzz with Gayle potentially featuring tonight. And it all boils down to the venue. Fans are already finding solace in Sharjah following average scores in the other venues. And with last night pretty much not offering much in terms of entertainment via the willow, a potential face-off between Gayle-KL and Samson-Buttler does excite many.

Not like Gayle needs shorter boundaries to make hay but it certainly gives him the license that he might look for if he does feature tonight. Skipper KL himself has been in blazing form as always and he will brace himself for another big score. Royals will be excited by Buttler's return to the XI which is likely to push Steven Smith to number 4 and even though the Australian sparkled with a fifty against CSK as an opener, they need him down the order in the absence of Ben Stokes. And how about Samson? He went bonkers against the CSK spinners the other night but Ravi Bishnoi and Murugan Ashwin are coming into this contest with confidence. Those two leggies will have to ensure they don't bowl full to this marauding dynamite.

It will also be interesting to see what the toss winning captain decides to do. The trends have been crazy so far but in a potentially high-scoring venue, what would you prefer? Both teams have won so far putting up a huge total on the board and might be keen to retain the same formula. 33 sixes were hit at this venue in the previous game. How many can we expect tonight? We will find out shortly. Welcome to the live blog for this clash that promises fireworks.