Equipped with a lethal bowling attack and boasting a number of quality finishers, debutants Gujarat Titans will start as favourites against spin-heavy former champions Rajasthan Royals when the two teams face-off in the first IPL Qualifier at the Eden Gardens. Here is the team analysis:
Team analysis of Gujarat Titans
Strengths: The opening and the power at the top have been resolved ever since Wridhhiman Saha came out to open along with Shubman Gill. Though the middle order was struggling with Hardik Pandya not being able to score runs, now the issue has been done away with Pandya scoring 62 against the RCB in their last match.
Gujarat Titans have players who are a powerhouse and also have the acumen to know when to go after a particular bowler. David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, and Rashid Khan to name a few have been their backbone from the first game itself. Their ability to strike the ball hard and long has worked in favour of GT throughout the season.
Gujarat Titans have taken the most number of wickets in the powerplay and the protagonist is Mohmmad Shami, who has been phenomenal with his seam, accuracy, and speed. Rashid Khan, another excellent bowler for GT, who is always in the thick of the things, has taken 18 wickets for the Titans at a 6.94 economy rate. While Rashid rushed the batters with his speed and revolution on the balls, Sai Kishore, a slow left-arm orthodox, mesmerizes the batters with his flight, accuracy, and bounce.
Weaknesses: The experiment with Matthew Wade as the opener did not work and now, him at the number three position has also failed. The persistence with Wade has cost other like-for-like replacements like Rahmanullah Gurbaz or maybe, Sai Sudarshan their place in the playing XI.
Team analysis for Rajasthan Royals
Strengths: A team that puts pressure at the start of the innings, whether they’re batting or bowling. They’ve been able to do this because of Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult in the bowling and, Jos Buttler and Yashasvi Jaiswal in the batting.
A team full of players who are proven match-winners and a management that believes in bringing radical changes to the game, whether it’s using Ravichandran Ashwin as a floater or Ashwin retiring out or using Devdutt Padikkal as an attacking option in the middle order, they’ve shown other teams the way ahead.
What is currently working for the Royals is their commitment to their plan and execution, and a calm-headed captain behind the stumps. Sanju Samson has been the backbone of this team, he has amassed 374 runs at a strike rate of 147, only second to Jos Buttler.
The spin duo of Ravichandran Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal have had the most impact in the middle overs, where they spin the web around the batters before sending them back. Chahal particularly has been excellent at varying his pace, line, and length according to the playing conditions, while Ashwin, deceives them with his guile, drift, and varying point of release.
Weaknesses: Jos Buttler’s dip in the second half of the tournament has raised some concern, with crucial matches coming up, the team and he would love to contribute to the team’s winning.
Impact player for Gujarat Titans
Rashid Khan: A bowler who can stop the opposition batters single-handedly, a batter who can hit some lusty blows, and a fielder who is a livewire on the field. Rashid Khan is an asset for whichever team he plays for.
Impact player for Rajasthan Royals
Ravichandran Ashwin - The way he segues from batting to bowling and doing both with finesse and consistent results. He has been the most impactful player for the Royals this season, with 183 runs at a strike rate of 147 and 11 wickets at an economy rate of 7.14.
Head-to-head: 1
GT: 1
RR: 0