There is often so much hype and pressure around a team’s opening Indian Premier League fixture of the season that the press, fans and all other so-called experts write off that same side’s chances after a defeat in their first game.
For those of you who laughed at Gujarat Titans when they were beaten by 11 runs by Punjab Kings in match five and then did the same for Rajasthan Royals following defeats to Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, well - you’re not laughing now!
Those same Titans have responded with comfortable victories by 36 runs, eight wickets and seven wickets against Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Sunrisers Hyderabad respectively. While Rajasthan’s finest have bounced back with wins by six runs over Chennai Super Kings followed by an easy 50 run victory versus the previously unbeatable Punjab Kings.
With their results picking up, it is no surprise to see Gujarat beginning the week level on points with Delhi Capitals at the top of the table and while Rajasthan Royals begin Monday morning in seventh place, they are level on points with RCB in third and just two points from the summit.
We have picked out who are the batters and bowlers most likely to impress in Wednesday’s fixture at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad and take a look at previous meetings between the Titans and the Royals.
Batters in form
One player who will be having a new experience in this head to head is Jos Buttler who will not be in the pink of Rajasthan Royals but instead will be wearing the dark blue of Gujarat Titans!
He may have made a three-ball duck in the last game against Sunrisers Hyderabad, but the former England white ball skipper looks head and shoulders above the man who struggled to lift a disappointing national side during the Champions Trophy earlier this season and is back to his best in this tournament.
When looking at potential best batters for Gujarat Titans, Buttler has plenty of competition with opener Sai Sudharsan already posting 74 vs Punjab Kings, 63 vs Mumbai Indians and 49 against RCB! And then there’s the small matter of captain Shubman Gill who began the season with scores of 33, 38 and 14 before getting going with 61 not out from 43 balls against Sunrisers on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals have plenty of in-form players with the willow as well! Their top three Yashasvi Jaiswal (67), Sanju Samson (38) and Riyan Parag (43) made 148 of the team’s 205/4 and Nitish Rana struck 81 from 36 balls against CSK!
Dhruv Jurel is another more than capable batter in the middle-order who kicked off the campaign with 70 against Sunrisers and he is averaging 39.66 this season, much improved from 21.71 in 2023 and 24.37 in 2024.
Which Bowlers Could Be Key?
Rashid Khan struck the winning runs last year and picked up a wicket in the field but he has struggled to make anywhere near his usual impact with the ball in this IPL and comes into the game with combined season figures of 1/143.
Fortunately for Gujarat Titans, they are not overly reliant on the Afghan leg-spinner and will be looking at a cross-section of their bowling attack to deliver in this game.
Mohammed Siraj took the Player of the Match Award versus Sunrisers after dismissing Travis Head and Abhishek Sharma in the powerplay on his way to match-figures of 4/17. Prasidh Krishna has picked up five wickets from the last three games while left-arm spinner Sai Kishore has taken eight wickets this season which is already his best IPL return!
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This article talked of the folly of writing teams off after poor starts to a season and the same applies to individual players which was certainly the case for Jofra Archer. Although in the defence of those who were calling for the England international to be dropped, his figures in his previous seven games did not merit selection.
Opponent | Bowling figures |
RCB | 0/33 |
Punjab Kings | 1/42 |
Rajasthan Royals | 1/35 |
Punjab Kings | 0/56 |
Chennai Super Kings | 0/24 |
Sunrisers Hyderabad | 0/76 |
Kolkata Knight Riders | 0/33 |
However, class is permanent and the pacer could be forgiven for cupping his ears to all and sundry after producing 1/13 against CSK and 3/25 versus Punjab Kings.
Like Rashid for Gujarat, Archer may be a global superstar but he does not carry this Rajasthan bowling attack and Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga has had an excellent start to the campaign with six wickets across the three games.
Rajasthan Royals’ Rampant Run Ruined by Rashid!
That’s the long and short of what happened when the teams locked horns in Jaipur in match 24 of the 2024 IPL!
Rajasthan Royals came into the fixture as the only team in the competition with a 100% winning record in tact after victories over Lucknow Super Giants, Delhi Capitals, Mumbai Indians and RCB. And for much of the contest at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, it looked like it would be five out of five.
As for Gujarat Titans, they had already completed five games and had won only two with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants getting the better of them in their two previous matches.
After losing the toss and being asked to bat first, Rajasthan saw both of their openers, Yashasvi Jaiswal and Jos Buttler, dismissed inside the powerplay and they ended their first six overs 43/2. But that was as good as it got for Gujarat in the first innings of the game as skipper Sanju Samson hit 68 not out from 38 balls and this year’s stand-in captain Riyan Parag made 76 runs from 48 balls as the hosts posted 196/3.
Rashid Khan’s impressive figures of 1/18 from four overs stood out like a saw thumb with all four other bowlers for Gujarat going at between 9.25 and 12.75 runs per over and 197 looked like a tough ask.
Sai Sudharsan and skipper Shubman Gill got the Titans off to an excellent start, putting on 64 for the opening stand but wickets then fell regularly and the game looked to be up when Rashid came to the crease with his side six down and needing 40 runs from 15 balls.
But most no better than to write off Rashid even with the bat, and he delivered 24 not out from 11 balls, including four from the final delivery to secure a famous win for Gujarat.
As with all franchises, there has been movement in and out of both Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals ahead of this season but many of the key protagonists from 12 months remain and could well hold the key once again in Wednesday’s clash.
What Will Wednesday Bring?
One of these teams will be very much in the conversation at the upper reaches of the table come the end of this game while the other will be licking their wounds after seeing a winning streak come to an end.
The fixture will not determine either Gujarat or Rajasthan’s seasons but will certainly see one of them going into the next round full of confidence.
It was Gujarat Titans who came away with the win last season and they will fancy their chances once more after beating Rajasthan Royals in all but one of their five previous head to heads.
Tom Gibson
Tom Gibson, 33, possesses a keen interest in cricket combined with expertise in betting. Based in Newcastle, he is well-acquainted with the dynamics of the game and the betting world. With numerous years analyzing cricket matches and odds, Tom offers a unique perspective on the intersection of the sport and betting strategies