With almost all parts of the engine functioning smoothly, the top-placed Gujarat Titans would believe they have the required balance to not just win tomorrow’s match versus Rajasthan Royals but also defend the IPL title that they hoisted last year. Having said that, they lost their last game versus an energised Delhi Capitals on a seaming deck.
So did that loss expose any chinks in the GT side? One of the few areas where GT seem to lack a bit of firepower is at the top of the order: W Saha has notched up 151 runs at a strike rate of 123.77. Hardik Pandya came out to bat at No.3 in their previous game and scored a fine fifty. However, the GT skipper scored those runs at a strike rate of just over 110. With Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar and David Miller also failing to make an impression versus DC, Rahul Tewatia had too much to do.
GT’s bowling line-up, though, has enough ammunition to trouble opposition teams in different climes. On what could be a slow pitch in Jaipur, the potent spin duo of Noor Ahmed and Rashid Khan could make an impression. Their next opponent, RR, also would be hoping to put a loss (versus Mumbai Indians) behind them. All-rounder Jason Holder has been struggling both with the bat and ball, and ended up dishing out some juicy full toss versus MI. However, on a positive note, the spin twins – R Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal – continue to complement each other. Trent Boult and Sandeep Sharma have been RR’s go-to bowlers at different stages of an innings.
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Yashasvi Jaiswal has been in prime form, leading the batting charts for RR with 428 runs. The think-tank, however, would be a touch concerned with the recent form of both Shimron Hetmyer and Jos Buttler.
Venue and Time
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. 7.30 PM
Expected conditions and toss: We could see a two-paced deck, where the odd ball stops on the batter. In such a scenario, the team winning the toss could opt to bat first. As per the forecast, there is no chance of rain and the humidity is also expected to be relatively low at 35 per cent.
Head-to-head record: GT have won three out of their four games against RR.
Possible XIs and Impact Player: RR could look at Kuldeep Sen or Joe Root as the impact sub while GT might opt for Joshua Little or Sai Sudurshan. Or even throw in a surprise by having Gill as the sub.
RR: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Ravichandran Ashwin, Jason Holder, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma, Yuzvendra Chahal
GT: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya(c), Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma