Gujarat Titans will continue their title defense in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League as they will lock horns against Rajasthan Royals in Match 23 at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad on Sunday, April 16. The Hardik Pandya-led side defeated Punjab Kings by six wickets in their last fixture.
Gujarat were cruising for a win at one stage against Punjab; however, they somehow managed to drag the game to the last over, and the well-set Shubman Gill got dismissed on the second ball to make matters worse for GT.
Rahul Tewatia once again gave the finishing touch to the innings as he scored a crucial boundary on the second last ball of the match to take his side home. Gujarat will be up against last year’s runner-ups Rajasthan Royals, who are also having a good run so far in the tournament, having won three out of their four matches. In order to come out on top against RR, Gujarat will once again have to bring their A-game to the fore to thump Rajasthan.
As GT prepare themselves to face the toughest challenge of the ongoing season, let’s discuss the best predicted XI for the match.
Here’s Gujarat Titans’ predicted XI against Rajasthan Royals:
Openers: Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha (wk)
Shubman Gill. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Shubman Gill has been in sublime form as he’s the highest run scorer for GT so far, with 183 runs to his name in four innings at an average of 45.75 and a strike rate of 141.86. The 23-year-old, however, would like to work on his strike rate in the middle overs as he took the game till the last over against PBKS, which led to some anxious moments in their GT camp.
Wriddhiman Saha has shown intent at the top of the order and has given explosive starts. He has scored at a strike rate of 145.76 in four innings and scored 30 off 19 balls against Punjab. The wicketkeeper-batter will look to go big against RR and get a big score against his name, which has eluded him so far in the tournament.
Middle order: Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia
Sai Sudharsan has also contributed heavily in the season so far, being the second-highest run scorer for the side with 156 runs to his name at an average of 52 and a strike rate of 126.82. The 21-year-old has proven to be a reliable batter replacing Kane Williamson, who has been ruled out of the season due to injury.
David Miller has had limited opportunities so far in the tournament scoring 50 runs in three innings. He scored 31 off 16 in the second game against Delhi Capitals and played the role of a finisher chasing the target of 163.
Rahul Tewatia calmed the nerves down in the dressing room, scoring a boundary on the second last ball of the innings as Gujarat required four off two balls against PBKS. Tewatia is known for winning matches out of nowhere for his team and has impressed in the limited opportunities he has got this season.
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya (c)
Hardik Pandya (Photo Source: Twitter)
Captain Hardik Pandya once again had a forgettable outing against PBKS as he only scored eight off 11 and couldn’t take his side to the finishing line. The star all-rounder has looked off-colour this season, scoring just 21 runs from three innings.
The 29-year-old hasn’t got a wicket to his name after bowling six overs in the competition so far. The Gujarat captain is capable of turning matches in his team’s favour on his own and will be eager to contribute to the team’s win against RR.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Alzarri Joseph
Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Rashid Khan is in the race for the purple cap this year, having scalped nine wickets in four matches so far at an average of 13.33 and an economy of 7.50. The 24-year-old was awarded Player of the Match for picking up 2/26 in four overs and scoring an unbeaten ten off three balls in the first game against CSK. He also bagged a hat-trick against KKR in the third fixture and will be eager to put up another remarkable performance against RR.
Mohammed Shami has picked up seven wickets in the tournament so far and has successfully given early blows to the opposition. He is the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker of the tournament after Match 19 with seven scalps to his name at an average of 20.28.
Joshua Little picked up one wicket in the last game against PBKS, giving away 31 runs in four overs. He has picked just three wickets in the tournament so far at an average of 48 and an economy of nine. Little will be eager to leave an impact on the game in the next fixture after having an ordinary season so far.
Mohit Sharma had a dream return to IPL after three years as he picked 2/18 in four overs. He dismissed the set batters Sam Curran and Jitesh Sharma to restrict PBKS to 153/8 in the first innings. The 34-year-old was awarded Player of the Match on his magnificent return.
Alzarrir Joseph has formed a potent new ball pair, with Mohammed Shami picking up seven wickets at an average of 17.28. The West Indian seamer is also the joint fourth-highest wicket-taker of the tournament after Match 19. Joseph will again look to pick wickets with the new ball against Rajasthan.
Gujarat Titans (GT) probable XI:
Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Alzarri Joseph
Gujarat Titans probable Impact Players:
Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Srikar Bharat, Shivam Mavi, R Sai Kishore
Rahul Tewatia and David Miller. (Photo Source: Twitter)