Defending champions Gujarat Titans will be hoping for a better performance from their top-order batsmen when they take on Rajasthan Royals at their home ground in their next match on Friday. This match is between Rajasthan's batting and Gujarat's bowlers. The Hardik Pandya-led side had lost by five runs in their previous encounter while chasing a target of 131 against Delhi Capitals. The team is at the top of the table with 12 points while Rajasthan is at the fourth position with 10 points.
The Rajasthan Royals team led by Sanju Samson also has many talented players but the team has failed to register consistent wins. In the last six matches, the team has won three matches while it has lost three.
The problem with Rajasthan Royals lies more in the bowling. The team had failed to defend a mammoth target of 212 against Mumbai in the previous match. Fast bowler Trent Boult, all-rounder Jason Holder, spinner Yuzvendra Chahal and Kuldeep Sen scored a lot of runs in that match. They will be hoping for a good show in front of their home crowd on Friday.
The Royals can take some solace from the fact that they won against Gujarat Titans at the start of the season. Rajasthan's batting is very strong. Apart from young Yashasvi Jaiswal, who played a century in the last match, the trio of Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson and Shimron Hetmyer can turn the tide of any match on their own. This batting unit, however, will have to be cautious against a bowling attack led by pacer Mohammed Shami and spinner Rashid Khan.
The Rajasthan batsman has not been able to get Yashasvi off the spinner this season. He has played 93 balls against the spinners and scored 139 runs. If the Rajasthan team wins this match, then the team can reach the top of the table due to the better net run rate (+800).
Gill-Miller's bat must walk
The Titans batsmen, on the other hand, will have to put behind their poor performance against Delhi Capitals. The team failed to chase down the small target due to the failure of Shubman Gill and David Miller, who were in excellent rhythm against Delhi Capitals. Captain Pandya kept the team in the match till the end by scoring a half-century but his and Rahul Tewatia's flamboyant innings did not prove to be enough for the team. The team's bowling, however, is strong with Mohammed Shami in fine touch. In the spin department, Rashid and other Afghanistan player Noor Ahmed are performing brilliantly.
Possible playing 11 of both the teams
Rajasthan Royals: Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Devdutt Padikkal, Sanju Samson (c/wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jason Holder, R Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Sandeep Sharma.
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmed, Joshua Little, Mohammed Shami.
(pc prabhatkhabar)
