It could be curtains for RR if they succumb to a seventh defeat in ten games
Shashank Kishore27-Apr-20253:13
Bumrah’s yorkers or Starc’s yorkers? Sai Sudharsan has to choose
Big picture: Two teams with contrasting runsRajasthan Royals need only look as far back as 2024 – the example of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, specifically, for inspiration. They made a stirring run to the playoffs at the back end, surging to six straight wins and qualifying with 14 points. RR need five on the bounce to get to the same points, but do they have the belief, especially after failing to close out three regulation chases?Their climb up the points table will hard, not least because they now face Gujarat Titans, who have quietly built one of the most complete bowling units of IPL 2025, even as Rashid Khan has only shown flashes of his best.Prasidh Krishna, back in the IPL after a long injury layoff, is in the form of his life: 16 wickets at 14.12 and economy rate of 7.29. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore isn’t far behind, with 12 wickets at 16.33 and an economy of 8.22. Then there’s Mohammed Siraj, bringing the heat, especially in the powerplay, with his zip and late swing.Their batting is equally settled. Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan may not go wham-bam from the start, but they’ve mastered the art of building an innings. Their 448 partnership runs are the highest by any pair this season. They served another reminder of this chemistry during a 114-run opening stand in their previous outing against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.Sai Sudharsan, Gill and Buttler – the former RR star – combined have faced over 80 balls in seven of GT’s eight matches. The formidable top three have taken pressure off a middle order that may seem slightly undercooked on the surface, but they’ve had their moments, like when Rahul Tewatia finished off a final-over chase against Delhi Capitals.3:35
Jaffer: Sai Kishore ‘one of the bright spots’ for GT
RR, by contrast, are a team in search of the right combinations, despite being the fastest scoring team in the powerplay (10.38) along with Punjab Kings (10.37). And that’s because they haven’t been able to maximise Yashasvi Jaiswal’s fast starts and a recent surge in form.Sanju Samson is still injured. Coach Rahul Dravid isn’t sure of a recovery time frame yet. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer have all struggled for batting rhythm, having now seen three seemingly straightforward chases turn pear-shaped. The burden of winning seems to have fallen squarely on Jaiswal with the bat and Jofra Archer with the ball.GT are surging toward a top two finish. RR are simply trying to stay afloat, having now lost five games on the trot.Related
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Form guideRajasthan Royals LLLLL (Last five, most recent first)Gujarat Titans WWLWWTeam news and likely XIIsTushar Deshpande went for 36 in two wicketless overs in RR’s last game. He hasn’t bowled his full quota in three of their last five games. Akash Madhwal is a tempting option to replace him.Rajasthan Royals (probable): 1 Vaibhav Suryavanshi, 2 Yashasvi Jaiswal, 3 Nitish Rana, 4 Riyan Parag (capt), 5 Dhruv Jurel, 6 Shimron Hetmyer, 7 Shubham Dubey, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Sandeep Sharma, 10 Jofra Archer, 11 Fazalhaq Farooqi, 12 Akash MadhwalGT look settled. They’ll likely remain unchanged.Gujarat Titans (probable): 1 B Sai Sudharsan, 2 Shubman Gill (capt), 3 Jos Buttler, 4 Sherfane Rutherford, 5 M Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Rashid Khan, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 R Sai Kishore, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Ishant SharmaRiyan Parag has a lot to think about as Rajasthan Royals stand-in captain•BCCI
In the spotlight: Dhruv Jurel and Prasidh KrishnaDhruv Jurel has struggled against spin, his strike rate of 105 this season a clear indicator. RCB capitalised on this in their previous clash, tightening the screws with Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma in tandem. With a strike rate of 195 against pace, on the other hand, is Jurel better used when fast bowlers are around? An RR batting shuffle could unlock his strengths.Free of injuries, clear of his role of being a hit-the-deck, middle-overs bowler, Prasidh Krishna is enjoying a sensational return to the IPL after two frustrating years on the sidelines. His economy of 5.3 is the season’s best in the middle overs among those who’ve bowled a minimum of 15 overs. He’s also currently the joint-highest wicket-taker along with Josh Hazlewood.The big questionKey stats Jaiswal is 37 away from 2000 IPL runs. He’ll become the third-fastest Indian after Ruturaj Gaikwad (57 innings) and KL Rahul (60 innings) to get here. His 15 powerplay sixes are also the most by a batter this season. Archer has a favourable match-up against Gil in IPLl: three dismissals in five innings. Gill has managed just 10 runs while striking at 67. Hetmyer’s death overs strike rate (156) has considerably dropped from 200 and 192 over the last two seasons. GT’s top three are averaging (53.9), the highest this season. GT’s middle-overs batting has improved drastically from last season. Their strike rate has jumped from 142 to 165, and their average has more than doubled from 26.8 to 61.1.Pitch and conditionsFour of the seven games in Jaipur have been won by the chasing side since last year, with the average first innings score being 184. Day temperatures have crossed 40 degrees celsius; while the evenings will be a tad cooler, there’s no escaping the oppressive heat that will take a toll on the players’ fitness.Quotes”As a middle order, there’s lots of pressure off you by how our top three is batting. Yes, there is not much game time for few of us in the middle order but that’s been compensated in practice.”