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Match Details

Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Gujarat Titans (GT)
Jaipur, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)

Big picture: Can Rashid stop Royals from making 5/5?

The only unbeaten team in the competition, Rajasthan Royals have both batting and bowling going for them. But can Rashid Khan be a threat to the table toppers’ unbeaten run?

The leg-spinner had a rough start to the season, with five wickets at an average of 34.6 and an economy of 8.65 in five matches. But, he has a stellar record against the Royals.

Jos Buttler never hit him for a four or a six in the IPL and fell to him three times in eight innings, averaging just 10.00 and just 63.82. Ryan Prag averages 5.07 against Rashid, falling twice in 13 balls. He also dismissed Shimron Hetmyer three times in nine innings and Yashasvi Jaiswal once in two. R Ashwin, who has moved up the order a couple of times this season, averages just 3.00 and has lost his wicket against Rashid three times in the IPL.

Also, both sides have struggled to maximize their power play. The Royals have a run rate of 7.70 in the first six overs, while the Titans have a run rate of 8.26. But when the Royals flipped a switch after that, attacking for more than 10, the Titans struggled. Their run rate of 8.23 ​​after the powerplay is the worst among all teams.

The Titans are seventh on the points table with a record of 2-3, and naturally a tough challenge awaits against the table toppers. Another defeat would leave them in the relegation zone but victory away from home would take them into mid-table.

Farm Guide: Persistent Royals, Contradictory Titans

The Royals: WWWW (IPL 2024; latest match first)
The Titans: LLWLW

Team news and impact player strategies

Rajasthan Royals

According to assistant coach Trevor Penny, Sandeep Sharma, who has missed the last two games, is “on the mend” and could be available for selection after the Titans game. Royals have included Shubham Dubey as an impact player for Yuzvinder Chahal in their last two matches and they could go the same way. A fit Navdeep Saini has returned from NCA.

Possibly XII 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (captain and wicket), 4 Ryan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jaril, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Nandre Berger, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal12 Shubham Dubey

Gujarat Titans

According to fast bowler Spencer Johnson, David Miller is unlikely to be fit for the Royals clash but is close to full match fitness. There was no clarification on the availability of Wriddhiman Saha, who missed the previous game with a back problem. With Vijay Shankar out of form, the Titans may bring in Shah Rukh Khan or Abhinav Manohar to bolster the middle order. They may also think of Matthew Wade in place of Kane Williamson, who has looked sluggish in two matches. Wade also provides a wicketkeeping option, especially if Saha is unavailable. Mohit Sharma has consistently been the Titans’ designated impact sweeper.

Possibly XII: 1 Shibman Gill (captain), 2 Sai Sudharsan, 3 Kane Williamson/Matthew Wade, 4 BR Sharath (wicket), 5 Vijay Shankar/Abhinav Manohar, 6. Rahul Tyotia7 Rashid Khan, 8 Darshan Nalkande, 9 Noor Ahmed, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Spencer Johnson, 12. Mohit Sharma

In the spotlight: Yashvi Jaiswal and Noor Ahmed

After the highs of IPL 2023 and the international success that followed, Yashaswi Jaiswal has started the forgettable IPL 2024. With scores of 24, 5, 10 and 0, they have failed to sustain the power play this season and there is a big reason for that. The Royals struggle at the top. Against the Titans, Jaiswal has generally struggled: in four innings against them, he has scored just 40 runs at an average of 10.00 and a strike rate of 95.23.

Among all Titans bowlers, Noor Ahmed has the best economy – 7.16. Although he has not always been between the wickets, he has kept the lines tight and not given the batsmen much to exploit. His misfires have been surprising and while Gill might expect a few more wickets from him, Noor has hit the right spots since breaking into the XI. Those helpers could be key at the Jaipur level.

Statistics are important.

  • Buttler has a strike rate of 206.66 against Mohit but has fallen to him twice in three IPL innings.
  • Samson fell victim to Rashid just once in 13 innings of IPL and scored 111 runs off 96 balls.
  • Gayle was never dismissed by R Ashwin in seven innings in the IPL and piled on 95 off 58 balls.
  • Yuzvinder Chahal needs five wickets to become the first bowler to take 200 wickets in IPL.
  • The Titans have a 4-1 record over the Royals in the IPL.

Pitch and conditions

Jaipur have been one of the highest scoring venues this season, breaching the 180 mark in four out of six innings. The ball has flown quite well, but the spinners could use some help. It is expected to be a warm afternoon, with temperatures dropping to 27 to 30 degrees in the evening.

Quotations

More worrying for the other team is that he is going to be fired soon. It’s good that we won and he didn’t get runs. There is absolutely nothing wrong.
Assistant Coach Trevor Penny Yashwhi is not worried about Jaiswal’s lack of runs.

“We’re looking to knock them off and hopefully start our run. We know how hard it is to win games and if we can steal a few points here, it will go a long way. When we go home for the next one.”
Spencer Johnson Confident of knocking Royals at home.

Ashish Pant is the sub-editor of ESPNcricinfo.

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