IPL 2021: Sanju Samson may include THIS player as Ben Stokes' replacement in Playing XI

Rajasthan Royals (RR) is all set to play its second game of the season against Delhi Capitals (DC) after a high-scoring thriller that saw the Sanju Samson-led team lost to Punjab Kings by 4 runs. Royals are currently in the midst of a conundrum as their key all-rounder Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the tournament due to a finger injury. It is always hard to find a replacement for a player of Stokes' caliber, but South Africa's David Miller and English batsman Liam Livingstone are waiting in the ranks to fill the vacuum created by the all-rounder's sudden exit from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2021 edition. 

Miller or Livingstone?

Rajasthan Royals, in its latest blog post, has suggested that David Miller or Liam Livingstone might take Ben Stokes' place in the playing XI as both are considered explosive batsmen and have the ability to hit big shots. Miller is more experienced in the Indian Premier League than Livingstone, who will play his debut game in the cash-rich tournament if included in the playing XI for today's match. It will be interesting to see who will Sanju Samson pick for the clash against Delhi Capitals, where he is slated to meet another young first-timer wicketkeeper-batsman skipper Rishabh Pant. 

While both players have played a lot of T20 cricket around the world, Miller is far more experienced than Livingstone, which makes his case stronger in front of the team management as they will be eyeing their first match win of the season. But, Miller has not been able to perform consistently for the past couple of seasons as he only has one fifty since 2016, which he scored while playing for erstwhile Kings XI Punjab, now called the Punjab Kings. 

While Rishabh Pant won his first game as IPL captain, Samson failed to take his side across the finishing line despite scoring a century in his debut game as skipper and becoming the first player in IPL history to do so. meanwhile, Delhi Capitals is expecting its key pacer Kagiso Rabada to play today's game as the South African has already served his quarantine time and is match-ready for the clash. 

(Image Credit: PTI)