Can red-hot Royals make it 5-0 against struggling Titans?
Rashid Khan has a stellar record against Royals batters, and that might give Titans some hope
Ashish Pant
09-Apr-2024
Match Details
Rajasthan Royals (RR) vs Gujarat Titans (GT)
Jaipur, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)
Jaipur, 7.30pm IST (2pm GMT)
Big Picture: Can Rashid stop Royals from making it 5/5?
The only unbeaten side in the competition, Rajasthan Royals have both batting and bowling going right for them. But can Rashid Khan pose a threat to the table toppers' unbeaten streak?
It's been a difficult start to the season for the legspinner, with five wickets in five games at an average of 34.6 and economy of 8.65. But, he does have a stellar record against the Royals.
Jos Buttler has never hit a four or six off him in the IPL and has fallen to him three times in eight innings, averaging just 10.00 and striking at only 63.82. Riyan Parag averages 5.07 against Rashid, falling to him twice in 13 deliveries. He has also dismissed Shimron Hetmyer three times in nine innings, and Yashasvi Jaiswal once in two. R Ashwin, who has batted up the order a couple of times this season, has an average of just 3.00 and has lost his wicket three times against Rashid in the IPL.
That aside, both sides have struggled to maximise their powerplays. Royals have a run rate of 7.70 in the first six overs, while Titans have gone at 8.26. But while the Royals have flipped a switch after that, striking at over 10, the Titans have struggled. Their run rate of 8.23 after the powerplay is the worst among all teams.
Titans are seventh on the points table with a 2-3 record, and against the table-toppers, a stiff challenge naturally awaits. Another defeat would leave them languishing towards the bottom but a victory away from home will lift them into the mid-table logjam.
Form guide: Consistent Royals, inconsistent Titans
Royals: WWWW (IPL 2024; most recent match first)
Titans: LLWLW
Titans: LLWLW
Team news and Impact Player strategy
Rajasthan Royals
Sandeep Sharma, who missed the last two games, "is on the recovery" and could be available for selection after the Titans game, according to assistant coach Trevor Penney. Royals have had Shubham Dubey coming in as an Impact Player for Yuzvendra Chahal in their last two matches and they could go down the same route. A fit Navdeep Saini is back from the NCA.
Likely XII 1 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 2 Jos Buttler, 3 Sanju Samson (capt & wk), 4 Riyan Parag, 5 Shimron Hetmyer, 6 Dhruv Jurel, 7 R Ashwin, 8 Trent Boult, 9 Avesh Khan, 10 Nandre Burger, 11 Yuzvendra Chahal, 12 Shubham Dubey
Gujarat Titans
David Miller is unlikely to be fit for the Royals clash, according to fast bowler Spencer Johnson but is close to full-match fitness. There was no clarity over Wriddhiman Saha's availability, who missed the previous game with a back spasm. With Vijay Shankar out of form, Titans could bring in Shahrukh Khan or Abhinav Manohar to bulk up the middle order. They could also think about Matthew Wade in place of Kane Williamson, who has looked sluggish in two games. Wade also provides a wicket-keeping option, especially if Saha remains unavailable. Mohit Sharma has consistently been Titans' designated Impact swap.
Likely XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 Sai Sudharsan, 3 Kane Williamson/Matthew Wade, 4 BR Sharath (wk), 5 Vijay Shankar/Abhinav Manohar, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Darshan Nalkande, 9 Noor Ahmad, 10 Umesh Yadav, 11 Spencer Johnson, 12 Mohit Sharma
In the spotlight: Yashasvi Jaiswal and Noor Ahmad
After the highs of IPL 2023 and the international success that followed, Yashasvi Jaiswal has had a forgettable start to IPL 2024. With scores of 24, 5, 10 and 0, he has failed to survive the powerplay this season and is a key reason behind Royals' struggles up 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.
Noor Ahmad has the best economy among all Titans bowlers - 7.16. While he has not always been among the wickets, he has kept the lines tight and not given the batters much to exploit. His wrong'uns have dazzled and while Gill might expect a few more wickets from him, Noor has hit the right spots since he entered the XI. He could be key on a helpful Jaipur surface.
Stats that matter
- Buttler has a strike rate of 206.66 against Mohit but has fallen to him twice in three IPL innings.
- Samson has fallen to Rashid just once in 13 IPL innings and scored 111 runs off him in 96 balls.
- Gill has never been dismissed by R Ashwin in the IPL in seven innings and smashed him for 95 runs in 58 balls.
- Yuzvendra Chahal needs five wickets to become the first bowler in the IPL to reach 200 wickets.
- Titans have a 4-1 record over Royals in the IPL.
Pitch and conditions
Jaipur has been one of the most high-scoring venues this season, with scores of 180 breached in four of the six innings. The ball has come on rather well, but there could be some help for the spinners. It is expected to be a hot afternoon, with the temperatures falling to around 27 to 30 degrees in the evening.
Quotes
It is more of a worry for the other team that he is going to fire soon. It is good that we have won and he hasn't got the runs. There is absolutely nothing wrong.Assistant Coach Trevor Penney is not worried about Yashasvi Jaiswal's lack of runs
"We are looking to knock them off and hopefully start our run. We know how hard it is to win away games and if we can steal a couple of points here, then that's going to go a long way when we head home for the next couple."
Spencer Johnson is confident of knocking over Royals at home
Spencer Johnson is confident of knocking over Royals at home
Ashish Pant is a sub-editor with ESPNcricinfo