The 24th match of IPL 2024 will feature the encounter between Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans, marking the completion of nearly one-third of the league stage. The Royals played the Titans in the 23rd game around this time last year, and they prevailed, making it four victories out of five to be at the top. The Royals were eliminated from the postseason after losing six of their previous nine games, while the Titans overcame their setback to take the lead in the league standings with as many as ten victories.
After four games, the Royals are back at the top and have not lost, while the Titans are fourth from the bottom. With ten clubs in the league, there is very little margin for error. The Royals will be acutely aware of this as they try to maintain their winning streak and make sure their dominance doesn’t end like it did the last time. The Titans, who have lost three of their last five games, will be looking for a speedy recovery and a turn around in their luck.
The Royals have had everything working in their favour thus far: the consistency of Riyan Parag and Sanju Samson, the comeback of Jos Buttler, and the strength and depth of their batting lineup. Not far behind is the bowling. The combination of Trent Boult and Nandre Burger has shown to be deadly, and the elite spin tandem of Yuzvendra Chahal as R Ashwin has expertly performed the roles of attack and defense, respectively, making it difficult for the opposing batters to get away. The synergy for the Royals, who have already performed like a well-oiled machine in the league, will be completed if Yashasvi Jaiswal also contributes to the runs and if Sandeep returns to strengthen their bowling.
Conversely, the Titans haven’t been as reliable as they were over the preceding two seasons. They battled hard to win over the Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad, but they also lost badly to the Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants. They were caught off guard by the Punjab Kings’ bench after controlling the game for the majority of it. Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan have been the focal points of their batting attack, but Rashid Khan hasn’t been a big wicket-taker for them this season, and Mohamed Shami’s absence has harmed them the most.
When: April 10, Wednesday, 19:30 IST
Where: Jaipur’s Sawai Mansingh Stadium
What to expect: The Royals lost four of their five home games in Jaipur the previous season, so it wasn’t exactly a fortress. But in 2024, they have reconstructed that fort, and they will be optimistic about a fourth victory after their three previous victories. They easily won all three of their matches, defending 193 and 185 and pursuing a target of 184.
Rajasthan Royals 1-4 Gujarat Titans, head-to-head.
Group observation:
Royals of Rajasthan
Injury/Availability: Sandeep Sharma’s unknown niggle kept him out of action for the past two games. Following their encounter against RCB, Shane Bond, RR’s bowling coach, stated that the bowler is unlikely to play in their upcoming match as well, “but is not too far away”. Bond also disclosed that Navdeep Saini, a former employee of the NCA, will be joining the group.
Strategies & matchups: Considering Sai Sudharsan’s records against pace this season—four wickets, an average of 26, and a strike rate of 123.81—the Royals will want to target him early on with their quick bowlers. Since legspinners have removed Shubman Gill twice already in this IPL, the Royals should consider using Yuzvendra Chahal to counter the GT captain.
Jos Buttler, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Avesh Khan, Nandre Burger, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Yashasvi Jaiswal are the likely members of the playing eleven. [Shubham Dubey, Impact sub].
Gujarat Titans
Injury/Availability: Wriddhiman Saha was forced to miss the most recent game owing to a back spasm, while David Miller has missed the previous two games due to a niggle. If they will be available for this match is still up in the air.
Strategies & matchups: The Titans believe that Spencer Johnson is a solid option because left-arm pace has dismissed Yashasvi Jaiswal three times in this IPL. As for Shimron Hetmyer and Jos Buttler, whom the Afghanistan legspinner has claimed three wickets apiece, Rashid Khan is a solid choice against them.
Shubman Gill (c), Kane Williamson, Sharath BR (wk), Vijay Shankar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Noor Ahmad, Umesh Yadav, Spencer Johnson, and Darshan Nalkande are the likely members of the playing eleven. [Mohit Sharma, Impact sub].
Were you aware?
– Gujarat Titans have the fewest sixes of any team in this IPL season with 22. The Royals and Punjab Kings, who have combined for the second-fewest sixes each, have averaged 7.5 sixes per innings, compared to their average of 4.4 sixes per innings.
– In the middle overs of this IPL, Rashid Khan and R Ashwin have both had difficulty getting wickets. Rashid has an economy rate of 8.04 and has taken just one wicket in the 7–15 overs. Although Ashwin has had a strong economy rate (6.68), he has not yet taken a wicket in this session.
– With 488 runs scored this season, the RR middle order (Nos. 3–7) has the highest average of any side in the Indian Premier League (IPL) at 48.80. However, GT has scored 444 runs at a 24.66 average, which is second lowest in the league after RCB’s 17.55.
– Sanju Samson is the batsman who has scored the most runs against Rashid in the IPL (111 runs in 96 balls, 1 dismissal, SR 115.63). The skipper of the RR would be the best option to neutralize the legspinner.
What they expressed:
Playing better at home was one of the topics we discussed from the previous year to the current one. We discussed our goals for our job a lot after we didn’t perform well here the previous year, and I believe we’ve adjusted rather nicely. In reference to the team’s success at home, RR bowling coach Shane Bond said, “We’re three from three here, and that gives us a lot of confidence going into the next game, which is here again.”
