IPL 2022: Debutants Gujarat look to complete fairytale season in final against rampant Rajasthan

Gujarat might consider themselves favourites for this tie though after getting the better of Rajasthan twice this season.

Hardik Pandya put in a Player of the Match performance in the group stage meeting between the two sides as he scored an unbeaten 87 off 52 balls and registered figures of 1/18 with the ball to seal a dominant 37 run victory.

More recently, GT comfortably strolled past Rajasthan in Qualifier 1 to book their place in the Final. Hardik (1/14) again contributed with the ball as his team restricted RR to 188/6.

The GT captain then scored an unbeaten 40 off 27 balls but his performance was eclipsed by David ‘Killer’ Miller who smashed 68 not-out off 38 balls to chase down the total with 7 wickets to spare.

However, Rajasthan bounced back with a strong display in Qualifier 2 and they have an ace up their sleeve in the form of a rampant Jos Buttler. The RR opener scored his fourth century of the season, matching the record for most tons in a season, to help his team chase down Royal Challengers Bangalore’s total of 157/8 with ease.

Buttler has managed to turn things around after a few quiet outings with two impressive displays in the playoffs and Gujarat’s fate might well be decided by how they contain the explosive batter who can take the game away at will.

Gujarat Titans Team News: Wriddhiman Saha was out for a duck in the last game but the opener has been putting in solid displays alongside Shubman Gill to provide stability at the top. Gujarat’s middle-order and bowling also have clicked off late and we can expect an unchanged side for this game.

Rajasthan Royals Team News: Rajasthan stuck with their formula of fielding five batters and five bowlers in the last game and although it backfired in Qualifier 1, with Prasidh Krishna especially leaking runs, their bowlers managed to bounce back in impressive fashion in Qualifier 2. We can again expect an unchanged side as they’ll not want to tinker for this vital game.

GT vs RR Weather Prediction: The evening temperatures around the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad are expected to be around 30 to 35 degrees with clear skies. There wasn’t any dew in Qualifier 2 and we can expect it to stay that way for the IPL Final.

GT vs RR Pitch Report: The surface at the Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad offered some extra bounce in Qualifier 2 which made life difficult for the batters when faced with good Test match lines and length. There’s wasn’t much spin on offer and a total around the 170-180 mark might prove challenging to chase down.

Where to Watch LIVE: Match starts at 8.00 pm IST on Sunday, May 29 with the Toss scheduled for 7.30 pm IST. The match has been delayed by 30 mins for the closing ceremony which will feature Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh and musician AR Rahman. The match will be telecast live on the Star Sports network. Viewers can also tune into the action via the Disney+ Hotstar.

Top Batting Picks: It’s hard to look beyond Jos Buttler after the RR opener smashed his fourth century of the season to take his tally at the top of the run-scoring charts to 824 runs from 16 games. David Miller is another batter in good form and has 449 runs for Gujarat this season.

Top All-Rounder Picks: Hardik Pandya has been consistently delivering all-round performances and is GT’s leading scorer with 453 runs. He also has 5 wickets this season, two of which have come against Rajasthan. Ravichandran Ashwin has 12 wickets and 185 runs this season and will be a value addition to any Fantasy side.

Top Bowling Picks: Yuzvendra Chahal needs just one wicket to grab the ‘Purple Cap’ back from Wanindu Hasaranga. The RR spinner is currently in second spot with 26 wickets from 16 games. Mohammed Shami is GT’s leading wicket-taker this season with an impressive haul of 19 scalps.

Gujarat Titans (Predicted XI): Wriddhiman Saha (WK), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (C), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph and Mohammed Shami.

Rajasthan Royals (Predicted XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (C & WK), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal and Obed McCoy.