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

Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals, RR Playing 11 vs GT (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.

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.

The Rajasthan Royals side would be slightly worried about opener IPL 2022 Orange Cap holder Jos Buttler’s drop in form as has made just 63 runs in the last 5 games after making 566 in the first nine. He must offer an electrifying start with Yashasvi Jaiswal.

In the middle order Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, and Ravichandran Aswin have scored runs and they will look to push the scoring rate up. Riyan Parag and Shimron Hetmyer are good hitters, and they will have to come up with big hits in the final overs.

Trent Boult and Prasidh Krishna shall have to make good use of the new ball as their inconsistency has been a worrying point for the Rajasthan Royals side. Yuzvendra Chahal -the Purple Cap holder has been the best bowler this season with 26 wickets, and he has to team up with Ravichandran Ashwin and restrict the flow of runs in the middle overs. Obed McCoy would be expected to do well in the role of a 5th bowler as the Titans have big hitters in the lower middle order.

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

Jos Buttler

Jos Buttler was one of the expected retentions for the Rajasthan Royals for INR 10 Crores and he brings a lot of value to the side in terms of winning games for the franchise. Jos Buttler has the ability to win matches on his own and he scored 254 runs in seven IPL games last year at a strike rate of 153 which speaks volumes of his ability.

He has scored the first ton of IPL 2022 and is currently the leading run-scorer (Orange Cap holder) with 629 runs in 14 games averaging 48.38. He has scored as many as 3 tons and 3 fifties in IPL 2022 and is in the form of his life. However, in the last few games, his bat has been surprisingly silent. But he would look to end the series on a high.

Yashasvi Jaiswal

In the 2021 season, Yashasvi Jaiswal had an impressive S/R scoring 249 runs in 10 games from the 168 balls that he faced. He even got his maiden 50 in the previous season and will look to build on that in 2022. Rajasthan Royals retained their skipper Sanju Samson, England’s swashbuckling player Jos Buttler, and youngster Yashasvi Jaiswal ahead of IPL 2022 auction.

Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored 212 runs in 7 IPL 2022 games averaging 30.29 with 2 fifties. He top-scored with 68 against Punjab Kings which should give him much-needed confidence. He also won the MOM. His 68 came off only 41 balls including 9 fours and 2 sixes. His strike rate was 165.85 in that game. He scored another fifty- 59 off 44 balls against Chennai in the team’s last game.

Devdutt Padikkal

Devdutt Padikkal was one of the expensive buys for the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 mega auction as he cost INR 7.75 Crores after an intense bidding war.

He had a good season for the Royal Challengers Bangalore last year with 411 runs in 14 IPL 2021 games at an average of 31 and also brought up his first century in the cash-rich tournament as well. He has scored 337 runs in 14 IPL 2022 games averaging 24.07 including a fifty. His best is 54. He is RR’s 3rd highest run-getter in IPL 2022 so far.

Sanju Samson

The right-hander was retained ahead of the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 14 Crores and he helped Rajasthan Royals to qualify for playoffs in the IPL 2022. Unlike other seasons, Sanju Samson had an excellent outing in the last edition (IPL 2021) scoring 484 runs in 14 games at an average of 40.

He has scored 374 runs with 2 fifties in 14 games averaging 28.77 in the ongoing IPL 2022. He is RR’s 2nd highest run-getter this season. His strike rate of 147.24 is good but he must show more consistency to be selected for the Indian team.

Shimron Hetmyer

Shimron Hetmyer fetched the big bucks in the IPL 2022 mega auction having been bought for a whopping INR 8.5 Crores by the Rajasthan Royals and his ability to finish games in the middle order is one of the reasons for his high price tag.

The 25-year-old scored 242 runs in 14 IPL 2021 games last year for Delhi Capitals at an average of 34 and it was the strike rate of 168 that created a lot of damage to the opponents. Shimron Hetmyer has been struggling with fitness concerns of late. He became a father for the first time recently and missed RR’s games against Delhi and Lucknow.

He has scored 297 runs in the 12 IPL 2022 games with a best of unbeaten 59 averaging an impressive 59.4 at a stunning strike rate of 163.18. He is RR’s 4th highest run-getter this season.

Ravichandran Ashwin

Ravichandran Ashwin was one of the steal buys in the IPL 2022 mega auction for just INR 5 Crores by the Rajasthan Royals from the marquee set after an aggressive bidding war with Delhi Capitals-his former franchise and his experience is going to be very handy for the franchise.

He has played for Chennai Super Kings, Punjab Kings, Rising Pune Supergiants, and Delhi Capitals before Rajasthan Royals. He has picked 11 scalps in 14 IPL 2022 games averaging 36.36 at an economy rate of 7.14. He has also scored 183 runs in the 10 innings played averaging 30.5. Rajasthan will hope he adds more wickets to his name. He scored his maiden IPL fifty in the game against Delhi.

Riyan Parag

Riyan Parag found a place in the Rajasthan Royals setup again for INR 3.8 Crores. The Assam cricketer has played some crucial innings that have helped his franchise in the last few years.

He also adds up to the all-rounder option as he can rotate his arm with some leg-spin which is crucial to the balance of the side. He has scored only 164 runs in 14 IPL 2022 games 12 innings averaging 18.22. He has also picked 1 wicket bowling 4 overs conceding 59 runs. He top-scored with an unbeaten 56 against RCB which will give him much-needed confidence.

Yuzvendra Chahal

Yuzvendra Chahal was picked for Rs. 6.5 crores by Rajasthan Royals during the auction. The leg spinner was part of Royal Challengers Bangalore last season. He scalped 18 wickets in 15 games in IPL 2021. He has picked 26 scalps in only 14 games averaging only 16.53 which came at an excellent economy rate of only 7.67.

He picked 4/41 against Lucknow and was awarded Man of the Match. He is the current Purple Cap holder for being the leading wicket-taker in IPL 2022. He picked a hat-trick against KKR and was awarded MOM for picking 5 wickets as KKR was dismissed for 207, 11 runs adrift of the target.

Trent Boult

Trent Boult, the Kiwi pacer was bought in the IPL 2022 mega auction for INR 8 Crore from the marquee set after an intense bidding war. The left-arm seamer can hit 140 Kmph at times and likes to swing it both ways with the new ball.

He is especially very dangerous against the left-hand batters. The 32-year-old has a lot of IPL experience under his belt now. He has picked 13 scalps in as many games averaging 31.69 at an economy rate of 8.24 in IPL 2022 so far. He is RR’s 3rd highest wicket-taker so far.

Prasidh Krishna

Obed McCoy

The young fast bowler from the West Indies, Obed McCoy has played in the IPL 2022 after being picked up by RR for INR 75,00,000. The left-arm quick has quite a few variations and is a useful option in the slog overs when the batters usually target everything coming their way. He has picked up 7 wickets in only 4 IPL 2022 games averaging 21.14.

The other option for the pace attack is Kuldeep Sen. A right-arm fast bowler from Madhya Pradesh, Kuldeep Sen had the taste of the biggest T20 league in the world after being picked up by RR for INR 20 lakhs.

Kuldeep Sen had figures of 1/35 on his IPL debut against Lucknow. He has picked 8 scalps from only 7 IPL 2022 games averaging 29.63. His best figures of 4/20 came in a winning cause against Royal Challengers Bangalore.