Why did Sandeep Sharma miss PBKS vs RR clash of IPL 2026?
(Courtesy : BCCI/IPL)
Sandeep Sharma also missed RR’s previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad.
Punjab Kings (PBKS) are clashing with Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the match no. 40th of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on April 28. PBKS have been unbeaten in the tournament so far and RR have the big challenge to outplay them, with the former having the home advantage.
Luck favoured RR captain Riyan Parag at the start, as he won the toss and opted to field first. They made two changes to their playing XI, benching out-of-form batter Shimron Hetmyer and spinner Ravi Bishnoi.
Interestingly, pacer Sandeep Sharma again was not part of their playing XI. The right-arm pacer also missed the previous game against SRH. He has played five games in the IPL 2026 so far.
Why is Sandeep Sharma not playing PBKS vs RR clash of IPL 2026?
Sandeep Sharma has been overlooked for the clash against Punjab Kings once again. He last played in the clash against SRH on April 13, where he went too expensive, leaking 52 runs off his spell. He has clinched five wickets in IPL 2026 so far. In the clash against PBKS, RR have Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger and Brijesh Sharma as their frontline spinners.
At the start, Sandeep Sharma was expected to be RR‘s lead bowling attack. He had been retained as an uncapped player ahead of the IPL 2025 auction.
Over the years, he has been one of the most underrated bowlers, nailing his yorkers with perfection at the death overs and the powerplay. He also owns a superb record against some of the best batters in the tournament, including Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli. He has over 150 wickets in IPL, however, he has struggled to make a mark in this edition.
Why is Sandeep Sharma not part of PBKS vs RR clash?
Sandeep has been overlooked for the encounter once again.
How many games has Sandeep played in IPL 2026?
He has played five games in the tournament so far.
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Vikas Singh Derek is a core cricket-lover since childhood and has always followed the sport both in his personal and professional life. He started his school life by watching cricket at home with family. Later, he played cricket on the field at local clubs during college. After his Master's in Journalism from Mumbai, he followed his passion by covering cricket news across various digital media. Since 2015, he has been an aspiring sports journalist and cricket content writer with over 50K+ articles.