Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, GT Playing 11 vs RR (Predicted), IPL 2022, Qualifier 1, GT vs RR

Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, GT Playing 11 vs RR (Predicted), IPL 2022, Qualifier 1, GT vs RR. Gujarat Titans will play against Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 1 of the ongoing IPL 2022 on 24th May 2022 at 7:30 pm in Eden Gardens Stadium, Kolkata.

Gujarat Titans under Hardik Pandya finished the league phase as the No 1 side and will start as favorites on paper against the Rajasthan Royals led by Sanju Samson, the No 2 team after the IPL 2022 league matches.

For Gujarat Titans, there is a slight injury concern over Wriddhiman Saha as the wicketkeeper did not do the stumpers’ duty against Royal Challengers Bangalore due to a tight hamstring. But Gujarat Titans team management would hope that Wriddhiman Saha, a solid presence in front and behind the wicket, will be fit by Tuesday.

While the Gujarat Titans won 10 out of the 14 games, the Rajasthan Royals finished with 9 wins. Key players on both sides have been in good form and one expects to see a close contest. The two sides had met once earlier in the season and the Gujarat Titans had registered a massive win which will add to the side’s confidence.

Rajasthan Royals are in a happy space after defeating Chennai Super Kings in the last match by 5 wickets. Ravichandran Ashwin’s all-around brilliance helped Rajasthan Royals secure a comprehensive victory over CSK and in the process ensured a second spot finish in the league stage.

The Royals are brewing with confidence and they won’t be looking to tinker much with the winning combination. Shimron Hetmyer is back for RR which has definitely bolstered their lower middle order. All in all, Rajasthan Royals do look like a settled unit.

Wriddhiman Saha has done well in the new role as an opener, and he would look to offer a positive start alongside Shubman Gill in this game. Shubman Gill has made more than 400 runs this year.

Skipper Hardik Pandya has been a strong pillar in the middle order and the side would like to see him build partnerships with Aussie keeper Matthew Wade. David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan have made difference for the side with their big-hitting abilities and the side would look for a good show from them down the order.

Pace spearhead Mohammad Shami has leaked runs in the last few games, but he has bowled well overall and shall need to get early breakthroughs with Hardik Pandya as the Royals have a strong batting lineup at the top. Spin wizard Rashid Khan has been at his best and the side would like the magician to outplay the batters. Pacer Lockie Ferguson, spinner Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, and pacer Yash Dayal will have to check the flow of runs in the game given the powerful batting line-up they are up against.

Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, GT Playing 11 vs RR (Predicted), IPL 2022, Qualifier 1, GT vs RR

Shubman Gill

Shubman Gill who has played 10 Tests and 3 ODI matches for India, will be eager to leave his mark in IPL 2022, as a good outing in the IPL can open doors for the Indian team as well. He was a regular starter for Kolkata Knight Riders since IPL 2018 and his role with Gujarat Titans will be to provide a good start to the team.

Shubman Gill remains one of the most promising openers in the league. He has scored 403 runs in 14 IPL 2022 games averaging 31 at an impressive strike rate of 133.88.  He is the 2nd highest among Gujarat’s run-getters after Hardik Pandya this season.

Wriddhiman Saha (wk)

Wriddhiman Saha, the Test discard, has scored 312 runs from 9 IPL 2022 games averaging 39. Wriddhiman Saha top-scored with 68 runs against SunRisers Hyderabad. He scored another fifty- 55 off 40 against Mumbai Indians but it went in vain. His 3rd fifty was an unbeaten 67 off 57 balls against IPL 2021 defending champions Chennai Super Kings. He will try to amend his strike rate of 124.8 in Qualifier 1.

Wriddhiman Saha didn’t keep against Royal Challengers Bangalore due to a tight hamstring. Matthew Wade replaced him behind the stumps. But Gujarat Titans team management would hope that the Bengal keeper, a solid presence in front and behind the wicket, will be fit for the 1st Qualifier.

Matthew Wade

Australia’s wicket-keeper batter Matthew Wade gets with him a wealth of experience. His credentials in the shortest format of the game are well-known. He has played for the Delhi Daredevils (now Delhi Capitals) in the past (IPL 2011) and will be turning up for IPL 2022 newcomers Gujarat Titans this year. He could add some firepower to this new-look franchise. He has managed 114 runs in 8 games in IPL 2022 averaging a mere 14.25 but will be given more chances.

David Miller

David Miller was bought by Rajasthan Royals ahead of IPL 2020. Despite playing just one game in the IPL 2020, the franchise retained him for the IPL 2021, keeping in mind his ability to single-handedly change the course of the match.

In IPL 2022, he scored 381 runs in 14 IPL 2022 games with the highest of unbeaten 94 in the match against CSK averaging an impressive 54.53 playing for Gujarat Titans. He is Gujarat’s 3rd highest scorer.

Hardik Pandya

Hardik Pandya has only played for the Mumbai Indians franchise in the IPL before Gujarat. He has scored 1476 runs for MI in IPL so far at an average of 27.33 and picked 42 wickets averaging 31.26. Also, he didn’t bowl a single over in the last two seasons of IPL for Mumbai Indians.

He has scored 413 runs in IPL 2022 averaging 41.3 and taken 4 scalps averaging 47.45 playing 13 games. As a first-time skipper, he has been spot on with his tactics and field placements. He is Gujarat’s leading run-getter this season.

Rahul Tewatia

Rahul Tewatia made his IPL debut in 2014. Rahul Tewatia, who shot to IPL fame with a magical 31-ball 53 in a historic chase against Punjab in IPL 2020, has been sold for more than 20 times his base price of Rs 40 lakh at the mega IPL 2022 auction in Bengaluru.

He has scored 217 runs so far in 14 IPL 2022 games averaging 31 at a strike rate of 147.61 with a best of unbeaten 43. He had hit two sixes in the last two balls of the last 20th over when Gujarat needed 12 to win against Punjab. He helped Gujarat to win from close situations in IPL 2022.

Alzarri Joseph

The 25-year-old tall and lanky fast bowler, West Indies Alzarri Joseph was bought by the Gujarat Titans for INR 2.40 crore at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction. From what started at INR 75 lakhs at his base price, thanks to MI, DC, PBKS, and GT, it soared high to INR 2.40 crore for Alzarri Joseph.

Earlier, the pacer made his IPL debut in 2019 for Mumbai Indians and got figures of 6/12, the best bowling figures for a debutant. He also became only the second player to take a five-wicket haul on an IPL debut, after Andrew Tye. He had picked 7 scalps in 8 IPL 2022 games averaging 33.85.

The other option for the overseas pacer slot is 30-year-old Kiwi pace merchant Lockie Ferguson who was one of the richest buys in the IPL 2022 player mega auction that took place in Bengaluru. The Gujarat Titans splashed out Rs 10 crore to acquire the services of Lockie Ferguson, who took 13 wickets in eight matches for Kolkata Knight Riders last season. He has picked 12 scalps in as many IPL 2022 games averaging 33.75.

Rashid Khan

Rashid Khan, who picked up 18 wickets in 14 matches in the last edition, has consistently turned heads with his bowling exploits in the IPL. Maintaining a good economy of 6.69, he was the seventh-best bowler in the Purple Cap standings last season. The Gujarat Titans had to shell ₹15 crores to acquire the services of Rashid Khan in the pre-draft after he parted ways with Sunrisers Hyderabad.

He has picked up 18 scalps in 14 games averaging 21.55 at an economy rate of 6.94. His cameo of 40 against CSK ensured a win for Gujarat Titans in the match where he captained in absence of injured Hardik Pandya. He has scored 91 runs in 8 innings averaging 22.75. He is the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat besides Mohammed Shami. His best is 24/4.

Mohammed Shami

Mohammed Shami garnered a lot of attention at the IPL 2022 mega auction before eventually going to Gujarat Titans (GT) for a winning bid of INR 6.25 crores. Many experts still do not consider Mohammed Shami as a specialist bowler in the shortest T20I format, and his economy rate of 9.54 in T20Is explains the logic behind the dislike.

The veteran pacer has picked 18 scalps so far in 14 games in IPL 2022 averaging only 22.88 including 3/25 against fellow debutants Lucknow Supergiants. He is Gujarat Titans’ joint leading wicket-taker so far with Rashid Khan.

Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore

Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore is a 24-year-old cricketer from Tamil Nadu. He is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler and left-handed batsman. He was bought by Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at the end of the IPL 2020 auction. He had the base price of 20 lakh and he was bought at the same price by CSK.

The new franchise Gujarat Titans bagged the services of Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore for INR 3 crore after an intense bidding war. He has improved his batting abilities and is more of an all-rounder now, which increased his demand. He debuted against Lucknow and picked 3 scalps in 3 IPL 2022 games bowling 10 overs and conceding only 58 runs. His best is 7/2 and his average is 19.33. His economic rate is 5.8.

Yash Dayal

A new ball bowler, Yash Dayal was amongst the top 10 wicket-takers in the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the 2021-22 season. The 24-year-old from Allahabad was snapped up by the Gujarat Titans at the IPL 2022 Mega Auction for a hefty sum of INR 3.2 crore.

There were a lot of keen bidders for the youngster in the auction, but it was GT who finally bought him in the end. He has picked 9 scalps in 7 IPL 2022 games averaging 25.77 including a 3/40 against Rajasthan in his debut game.