Qualifier 1 of Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 will see Gujarat Titans (GT) lock horns with Rajasthan Royals (RR) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Both teams have had a stellar campaign and will hope to continue the momentum and book a final berth.
GT have hit all the right notes to kick-off the season with a five-wicket win, and have unrelentingly continued to sound the same orchestra throughout, with a top-spot finish to the league stage. The addition of Wriddhiman Saha has provided a much-needed impetus to the batting prowess of the side.
The Titans were shrewd operators with the new ball led by Mohammed Shami, having picked up most wickets this season in the powerplay. Leadership looked good on Hardik Pandya, who shone through with his all-round ability. The strong middle order lived up to its repute and Rashid Khan was nonpareil, with the ball, of course, and even bat on occasions
The Royals, on the other hand, have won most of their game by defending totals, winning seven of the 11 games. Their pacers have been economical in the powerplay and the spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal has done remarkably well in the middle overs.
However, RR will be concerned with Jos Buttler hitting the rough patch after a breathtaking start to the IPL 2022 campaign. While Yashasvi Jaiswal has made up for Buttler’s failures, Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal haven’t hit the straps they’d have hoped.
Match Details
Qualifier 1: Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR)
Venue: Eden Gardens, Kolkata
Date & Time: 24th May at 7:30 PM IST and Local Time
Pitch Report
The wickets will be fresher with the wickets offering pace. Chasing sides have won 3 of the last 5 games here in the IPL. However, scattered thunderstorms are forecast with humidity up to 68%.
Predicted Playing XI
Gujarat Titans (GT): Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade (wk), Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy
Match Prediction
In the league phase, GT trumped the Rajasthan franchise to finish on the winning side. However, playoffs are a different ball game altogether. RR will start the game as the favourites given that they have a handful of match-winners in their ranks.
Betway has also placed their odds in favour of the Royals at 2.00.
GT vs RR – Fantasy Team Predictions
Fantasy Team 1: Wriddhiman Saha, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, David Miller, Shubman Gill (C), Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Hardik Pandya, Yuzvendra Chahal (VC), Mohammed Shami, Rashid Khan
Fantasy Team 2: Wriddhiman Saha, Jos Buttler (C), David Miller, Devdutt Padikkal, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Hardik Pandya (VC), Yuzvendra Chahal, Trent Boult, Rashid Khan, Obed McCoy
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