GT, RR aim to continue winning streak in Ahmedabad

They say you can experience all four seasons in a single day - and Shane Bond believes you can live them all in a single T20 game at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Ahead of Rajasthan Royals' clash against Gujarat Titans, the RR bowling coach offered a unique analogy for cricket's largest Colosseum.

"It (the stadium) is intimidating, the ball gets a little bit softer, wetter and then all of a sudden batting can become a little bit easier. It's going to be dewy, but teams have still won more batting first than batting second. So the toss is almost irrelevant," said Bond.

That may not be entirely accurate - chasing teams have won 12 matches here compared to nine by those batting first - but there's no denying the enigma of this venue. Dew is expected to play a big role, yet as Punjab Kings showed in the season opener, defending a total is far from impossible.

On current form and squad depth, Gujarat Titans appear the stronger side. Shubman Gill is leading from the front, with strong support from Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler. Sherfane Rutherford has made a strong impact - quite literally - delivering in crucial moments more often than not with the bat.

Their bowling has been equally sharp, led by a reinvigorated Mohammed Siraj. Prasidh Krishna, R Sai Kishore and the tireless Rashid Khan have complemented him well. Once Kagiso Rabada returns, the attack could become near-unplayable. That said, the dew still looms as a great equaliser.

The Titans have restricted teams to under 180 in three of their four games this season - a remarkable stat given the high-scoring nature of IPL 2025. It's a testament to the execution, discipline, and adaptability of their bowling unit.

Rajasthan's attack has held its own too. Jofra Archer has set the tone with the new ball, while Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana have applied the brakes through the middle overs with their craft and control.

Where the Royals have room to grow is at the top of the order. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Sanju Samson haven't quite set the stage alight yet, though Jaiswal's 67 in the previous game was a promising sign. If both find form in tandem, RR could become a much more formidable unit.

With two in-form bowling line-ups going head-to-head, this clash may well be decided by the bat - whichever side handles the conditions, scoreboard pressure, and the dew, better on the night. At a venue like this, nothing is ever quite so straightforward.

When:Wednesday, April 9 at 7:30 PM IST

Where: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad

What to expect:A high-scoring contest could be on the cards, but a full-blown run-fest? Not quite certain. The home team is likely to opt for a black soil pitch - similar to the one used against Mumbai Indians - which offered a slower surface and made strokeplay trickier. Even so, the chasing team should brace for a target in the range of 190-200.

Head to Head: GT 5-1 RR. Royals only win against Titans came in Ahmedabad in 2023.

Team Watch

Gujarat Titans

Availability:Kagiso Rabada, who has gone home on a personal exigency, continues to be unavailable for the Titans. No injury or fitness concerns for any layers.

Tactics & Match-ups:Titan's top three has scored bulk of their runs with at least one of them crossing 50+ in every game. Each of the three average 50+ with 150+ SR in Ahmedabad. They may have deal with the firepower of Jofra Archer who is in fine form. GT will also have to deftly manage the RR spinners - Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Teekshana.

Probable XII:Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Sherfae Rutherford.

Rajasthan Royals

Availability: There is no injury concerns in the RR ranks

Tactics & Match-ups:The Royals will need a big score from their star batters, Yashasvi Jaiswal and skipper Sanju Samson, which means they will have to stop in-form GT pacers, mainly Mohammed Siraj, from making early inroads. Shimron Hetmyer will be key for RR in the final overs, setting or chasing a target. He will have to find a way to score off Rashid Khan and R Sai Kishore besides, of course, the lanky Prasidh Krishna who has been quite disciplined and accurate this season.

Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande/Kumar Kartikeya

Did you know?

- R Sai Kishore has completely out bowled his senior pro Rashid Khan in each of the four games this season. He has eight wickets to Rashid's one and conceded only 113 runs in four games for an impressive economy rate of 7.6. Rashid has gone for 143 runs so far with ann economy rate of 10.21.

- Jos Buttler, who bats at No 3 for GT, is the second highest run getter for Royals in their IPL history with 3055 runs behind Sanju Samson's 3879.

- Titans are the leading team among Powerplay wickets by seamers in IPL 2025 with eight wicket at 22.62. They struggled last season in this phase with Shami absent, butn Siraj has stepped up for them this season.

- Siraj is the leading wicket taker in Powerplay in IPL 2025 with six scalps - two each in each of the last three games (scalps include Head, Abhishek, Salt & Rohit). He has bowled a whopping 63.6% dots, only behind Hazlewood's 72.9%.

What they said:

"Credits to the, the whole support staff and especially the bowling unit because they're very clear as to how they're gonna turn up every single game against different opposition. They had the plans very clear against different batsmen, no matter where the venue might be. For us to have restricted the teams to less than 180 on three occasions is amazing. And it obviously speaks of the quality that we've got in our bowling lineup. So yes, we've been doing a lot of things right. I mean without doing a lot of things right consistently, I don't think you will have a great start to a very competitive tournament like the IPL." - Washington Sundar on GT bowling

"We recognise that giving him (Jofra Archer) the new ball has made a big difference for us. You know, we've put runs on the board and people have found it hard against him with the new ball. It's moving around with his pace and his bounce. So I think him leading our attack has given the rest of the bowling group a lot of confidence. I know he's got a lot of confidence and so excited to see what he can do out here on this wicket tomorrow. But yeah, he's a real important part of our team and it's nice to get him back into the form that we know he's capable of." - Shane Bond on Jofra Archer.