Pune Panthers vs Rajasthan Lions: Pollard's Panthers Aim to Bounce Back Against Morgan's Lions - 9th T20

The ninth match of the World Legends Pro T20 League brings an evening showdown as Pune Panthers face Rajasthan Lions at the 1919 Sportz Stadium in Verna, Goa. The match starts at 7:30 PM IST on Friday, January 30.

Match Context: Pune Panthers are desperate for a comeback after suffering a crushing 59-run defeat against Delhi Warriors on January 28. Despite posting a competitive target, Warriors' explosive batting (218/3) proved too much, with Chadwick Walton's 62 off 32, Shreevats Goswami's 51 off 33, and Irfan Pathan's unbeaten 49 off 26 powering them to victory. Earlier, Panthers won their opener against Gurugram Thunders by 4 wickets, with Martin Guptill's explosive 68 off 28 balls. Rajasthan Lions are riding high after their 16-run victory over Dubai Royals yesterday (January 29). Naman Ojha's brilliant 66 off 43 and Jesal Karia's crucial 31 off 18 helped Lions post 170/9. Despite Piyush Chawla's hat-trick (3/29), Lions defended successfully with Jesal Karia (3/21) and Bipul Sharma (3/28) restricting Royals to 154.
Weather & Pitch: Evening temperatures will be pleasant around 28-30°C. The Verna pitch has been excellent for batting with teams posting big scores. Teams chasing under lights have had mixed success, making the toss crucial.

Team Squads:
Pune Panthers: Kieron Pollard (c), Shane Watson, Dwayne Bravo, Martin Guptill, Robin Uthappa, Amit Mishra, Upul Tharanga, Samiullah Shinwari, Faiz Fazal, Ankit Rajpoot, Ishwar Pandey, Rahul Yadav, Kamau Leverock, Asad Pathan, Priyank Panchal
Rajasthan Lions: Eoin Morgan (c), Suresh Raina, JP Duminy, Ben Cutting, Naman Ojha (wk), Callum Ferguson, Angelo Perera, Elton Chigumbura, Bipul Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Anureet Singh, Pinal Shah, Jesal Karia, Shadab Jakati, Jaykishan Kolsawala

Key Players - T20I Stats:
Pune Panthers:

Kieron Pollard (Captain): 1,569 T20I runs, 42 wickets, first to play 500 T20 matches
Shane Watson: 1,462 T20I runs, 48 wickets at 24.72 average
Martin Guptill: Match-winner in first game (68 off 28)
Dwayne Bravo: 1,245 T20I runs, 78 wickets

Rajasthan Lions:

Eoin Morgan (Captain): 2,458 T20I runs, 14 half-centuries
Suresh Raina: 1,605 T20I runs, first Indian to score T20 World Cup century
Naman Ojha: In-form (66 off 43 yesterday)
JP Duminy: 1,934 T20I runs at 32.81 average
Jesal Karia: All-rounder (31 off 18, 3/21 yesterday)
Bipul Sharma: Left-arm spinner (3/28 yesterday)

Players to Watch: Walton's 62 off 32, Goswami's 51 off 33, and Pathan's 49 off 26 dominated Warriors' win. Guptill's 68 off 28 powered Panthers' first win. Ojha's 66 off 43, Karia's all-round brilliance (31 & 3/21), and Sharma's 3/28 were match-winning for Lions yesterday. Watch for Pollard versus Morgan's leadership battle and Watson's all-round skills against Raina's aggressive play.