The defending champions Gujarat Titans are having a great run in IPL 2023 as they’re ranked on the top spot in the points table with six wins from nine matches. After winning three games on the trot, their winning streak came to an end as they lost to Delhi Capitals in their previous fixture by five runs.
The Hardik Pandya-led side lost for the first time chasing a total as they failed to chase down a paltry target of 131 and could only reach 125/6 in the second innings. After suffering a rare loss in the tournament, GT will be eager to return on the winning track as they face Rajasthan Royals on Friday, May 05 at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. In order to beat the runner-ups of the 2022 season, Gujarat will once again have to field a strong playing XI:
Here’s Gujarat Titans’ predicted XI against Rajasthan Royals
Openers: Shubman Gill and Wriddhiman Saha (wk)
Shubman Gill (Photo Source: Twitter)
Shubman Gill had a rare failure against DC as he got dismissed after scoring just six off seven balls. However, the 23-year-old has been exceptional with the bat in the ongoing season having scored 339 runs from nine innings at an average of 37.66 and a strike rate of 140.66. After failing against DC, Gill will be raring to go against RR and will be eager to get a big score against his name.
Wriddhiman Saha got dismissed for a duck against Delhi and failed to trouble the scorers. The 38-year-old veteran has failed to fire in his last three consecutive innings as he could manage 0, 10 and 4 in his last three innings. In the nine innings so far, he has amassed 151 runs at an average of 16.77 and a strike rate of 123.77. With the tournament heading towards the play offs, Saha will be eager to find some form back and get a good score against Rajasthan.
Middle order: David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia
Rahul Tewatia. (Photo Source: IPL/BCCI)
David Miller also had a rare failure against DC as he got dismissed for a three-ball duck. However, the southpaw has been in exceptional form and has scored crucial runs for his side in the middle order. In the eight innings so far, Miller has scored 180 runs at an average of 45 and a strike rate of 147.54 with one half-century to his name. Miller had a great game against Rajasthan when the two sides clashed earlier in the season and hence will be full of confidence heading into the next fixture.
Abhinav Manohar had a forgettable outing against DC as he could only score 26 off 33 balls and couldn’t hit the big shots at the final stages of the innings to help his side finish the game. However, the 28-year-old has proven his worth with his explosive cameos so far in the tournament and will be looking to go big against RR.
Rahul Tewatia has never disappointed GT in any of his outings so far. He played a breathtaking cameo of 20 off seven balls to get his side closer to victory against DC. However, he couldn’t finish the match and got out on the fourth ball of the last over leaving his team requiring nine of the last two balls.
GT ended up losing the game but Tewatia once again proved his finishing prowess to the side. Given an opportunity against RR, the southpaw will look to make amends for the loss against DC and take his team home.
All-Rounders: Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar
Hardik Pandya. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Captain Pandya fired with the bat against DC as he played a gutsy knock of 59 off 53 balls and scored his second half-century of the season. Pandya has scored 213 runs in eight innings at an average of 30.42 and a strike rate of 117.03. The GT captain will look to continue his form with the bat as they head into the
After his sensational hundred against KKR, Vijay Shankar failed to fire against DC and could only score 6 off 9 balls against DC. Shankar has scored two fifties in the season so far and batted at a strike rate of 158.41. The 32-year-old will look to put his failure against DC behind him and notch up a good score against RR.
Bowlers: Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmed
Rashid Khan. (Photo Source: BCCI/IPL)
Mohammed Shami had a great game against DC as he bowled a magnificent spell of 4/11 in four overs and broke the back of the opposition. The right-arm seamer is the purple cap holder of the season for being the joint highest wicket-taker of the season so far with 17 wickets to his name from nine innings. Shami will hope for a repeat of his performance in the upcoming fixture against RR.
Rashid Khan bowled a good spell of 1/28 in four overs against DC and is the second-highest wicket-taker of the season for GT with 15 wickets to his name from nine games. The wrist-spinner was the Player of the Match in the season opener for Gujarat and has also claimed a hat-trick against KKR. Rashid will look to bamboozle RR batters in the next fixture and pick crucial wickets for his side.
Mohit Sharma was once again amongst the wickets against DC as he bowled a spell of 2/33 in four overs. The right-arm seamer has picked up 8 wickets from six matches so far at an average of 15.62 and an economy of 6.94. The 34-year-old will look to bowl his team to victory once again against RR.
Noor Ahmad bowled an economical spell of 0/20 in four overs against DC and has been in great form this season. The left-arm spinner has picked 8 wickets in five matches at an average of 15.62 and an economy of 6.81. The 18-year-old will hope to bowl another match-winning spell for his side against RR.
Gujarat Titans (GT) Probable Playing XI:
Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Vijay Shankar, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma
Gujarat Titans (GT) Probable Impact Players:
Joshua Little, Jayant Yadav, Srikar Bharat, Sai Sudharsan, Shivam Mavi