The pace-rich Gujarat Titans will take on the spin-heavy Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1 of the playoffs of IPL 2022, scheduled to be played on Tuesday (Mat 24) at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.
The Titans under Hardik Pandya finished the league stage as the No 1 side. Packed with a competent bowling attack and boasting several quality finishers in their lineup, the Titans will surely start as favourites against the Royals.
The Sanju Samson-led side, on the other hand, has got both the Orange and Purple Cap holders -- Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal -- in their arsenal this year, and this sums up the kind of IPL season they have had.
They are coming off a victory against Chennai Super Kings in their final league stage game, and the inaugural edition champions will be looking to keep their winning momentum intact.
Both the teams will put their best eleven against each other as the IPL 2022 Finals berth will be at stake. The team ending on a losing side will get another opportunity to make it to the finals at Qualifier 2.
Match Details
Match: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, 1st Qualifier
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: 24th May at 7:30 PM IST & Local Time
Live Streaming: Star Sports Network and Disney+Hotstar
Pitch Report: The pitch at Eden Gardens offers one of the fastest wickets in the country, where the fast bowlers get extra pace and bounce. The quick outfield helps the batters clear boundaries with ease. There is something for spinners as well, and they are likely to make a difference in the middle overs. It isn't easy to defend the scores here, and hence both the sides will look to bowl first after winning the toss.
Pitch Stats
Total Matches: 10
Matches Won Batting First: 5
Matches Won Bowling First: 6
Average 1st Inning Score: 155
Average 2nd Inning Score: 136
Head-To-Head
The Hardik Pandya-led outfit outwitted the Royals by 37 runs in their previous meeting in the ongoing edition of the tournament. Batting first, Gujarat Titans posted 192/4 courtesy of Hardik Pandya's 87*. Rajasthan, in reply, could manage only 155/9 in the allotted 20 overs.
Key Battles
Buttler vs Rashid: 18/4 at 60 SR
Miller vs Ashwin: 75/3 at 115 SR
Miller vs Chahal: 35/3 at 152 SR
Samson vs Shami: 46/1 at 180 SR
Hetmyer vs Rashid: 49/2 at 153 SR
Hetmyer vs Shami: 23/3 at 153 SR
Riyan vs Shami: 13/2 at 130 SR
Hardik vs Boult: 29/3 at 223 SR
Injury Update/Players' Availability:
Gujarat Titans: There is a slight injury concern over Wriddhiman Saha's availability as he didn't keep wickets against Chennai Super Kings due to a tight hamstring. However, given the importance of the game, GT would hope for Saha to remain fit.
Alzarri Joseph might replace Lockie Ferguson in GT's playing eleven as he looked out of touch in the previous game and leaked away too many runs.
Rajasthan Royals: They are expected to with their unchanged playing combination.
Key Performers
Rajasthan Royals' star opener Jos Buttler has been in outstanding form throughout the season and is currently the Orange Cap holder with 629 runs in 14 matches at an average of 48.38 and a strike rate of 147.
RR spin maestro Yuzvendra Chahal is the leading wicket-taker in this edition of the IPL, picking up 26 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 16.53 and an economy rate of 7.67.
Rashid Khan is the joint-highest wicket-taker this season for Gujarat Titans and is likely to play a key role for them at Eden Gardens. The leggie has picked up 18 wickets in 14 matches at an average of 21.55 and an economy of 6.94. He has been equally impressive with the bat, stepping up on several occasions to take his side past the finish line.
Wriddhiman Saha has done wonders for GT even since he opened for the Titans alongside Shubman Gill. The India wicketkeeper-batter has accumulated 312 runs in just 9 matches with the help of three half-centuries.
Squads
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (C), Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Matthew Wade, Dominic Drakes, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Varun Aaron, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Alzarri Joseph, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (C & WK), Karun Nair, Rassie van der Dussen, Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Dhruv Jurel, Anunay Singh, James Neesham, Daryl Mitchell, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shubham Garhwal, Kuldip Yadav, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Navdeep Saini, Kuldeep Sen, Obed McCoy, Tejas Baroka, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna, Trent Boult, Corbin Bosch
Probable Playing XI
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson/Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammad Shami
Royal Challengers Bangalore: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy
CREX XI Suggestion
Wicket-Keeper: Jos Buttler, Wriddhiman Saha, Sanju Samson
Batters: David Miller, Shubman Gill, Yashasvi Jaiswal
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya, Ravichandran Ashwin
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy
Captain: Jos Buttler
Vice-Captain: Hardik Pandya