Riding high on their all-win record so far in IPL 2024, Rajasthan Royals will look to continue their undefeated streak when they take on an inconsistent Gujarat Titans at the Sawai Man Singh Stadium in Jaipur on Wednesday.
The Royals have won all four games so far in IPL 2024 to comfortably occupy the top spot in the points table, while last season’s runners-up Gujarat Titans witnessed a mixed bag campaign so far with two wins and and three loses out of five games.
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The Royals have ticked most boxes in the tournament so far, with Jos Buttler finally rubbing off the rust from his bat with a whirlwind unbeaten century to power the side to a comfortable win against Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their last match. The RR will now be counting on their other opener Yashasvi Jaiswal to finally find his groove, and get back among the runs.
The rest of the RR top and middle order, including skipper Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag have been in solid form, with Samson leading from the front, scoring 178 runs from four games including two fifties. Similarly, Parag is the third highest run-getter in the tournament so far with 185 runs, including two unbeaten half-centuries.
The brilliant form of the top order meant that the lower middle order has gone untested, and as such the likes of Shimron Hetmyer and Dhruv Jurel will have to raise their hands whenever the need arises.
On the bowling front, Rajasthan Royals boast of a potent attack in the form of pacers Trent Boult and Nandre Burger, and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal, who has been their stand-out performer with eight wickets, the second highest so far. However, RR would hope that star off-spinner Ravichandran Ashwin, who has managed just one wicket from four matches, steps up to the occasion.
On the other hand, the Gujarat Titans will look to avoid a hat-trick of losses on Wednesday, but for that the visitors will have to punch above their weight. Skipper Shubman Gill has had a decent outing with the bat so far, scoring 183 runs from five games with a strike rate close to 147. His opening partner B Sai Sudharsan too has been among runs but would be eyeing to convert his starts as he is yet to register a fifty in the tournament.
Sudharshan replaced Wriddhiman Saha at the top in the previous game against Lucknow Super Giants, and is expected to continue in the position also on Wednesday. The Titans will hope that their middle order batters fire in isolation or even in unison to bolster their chances against a strong RR unit.
In the bowling department, the veteran pair of Mohit Sharma and Umesh Yadav have been on the money, and the Afghan trio of Azmatullah Omarzai, Rashid Khan and Noor Ahmad will also be expected to raise their game against the likes of RR power-hitters — Buttler, Samson, Parag and Hetmyer.