Table-toppers Gujarat Titans aim to consolidate as Rajasthan Royals fight for pride

JAIPUR: In red-hot form, Gujarat Titans will aim to tighten their grip on the top spot and move closer to securing a playoff berth when they take on a faltering Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League here on Monday.

Perched comfortably atop the 10-team table with six wins from eight outings, the Shubman Gill-led side now needs just two more victories to book their place in the playoffs.

Functioning like a well-oiled machine, the Titans have tasted defeat only twice this season, with Sai Sudharsan and Prasidh Krishna leading the charge and the Orange and Purple Cap races, respectively.

At the heart of Gujarat's batting dominance lies the formidable trio of Gill, Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. Together, they have not just amassed over 300 runs each, but have also maintained an impressive strike rate of over 150, combining consistency with aggressive intent.

Despite losing Kagiso Rabada, who left for home due to personal reasons early in the season, the Titans' bowling emerged as their major strength.

Prasidh, who returned to competitive T20 cricket after multiple injury layoffs, has been sensational, snaring 16 wickets at a staggering average of 14.12 in eight games. His ability to out-think batters and vary his length have been the key to his success.

Mohammed Siraj too has been effective with the ball, claiming 12 wickets thus far and is joint fifth in the standing of the leading wicket-takers.

R Sai Kishore also finds himself among the top five wicket-takers this season, the left-arm spinner taking 12 wickets at an economy of 8.22.

Additionally, the Titans have a fairly settled line-up. They have rotated their impact players -- Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar or Kulwant Khejroliya -- based on the conditions.

In contrast, Rajasthan Royals became the first team to be knocked out of the tournament after losing to Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 11 runs earlier this week. It was their fifth straight defeat and seventh loss in nine matches.

They now sit ninth on the points table.The inaugural edition's champions have struggled to find momentum all season.

They came close to winning in their last three games but failed to close out matches, suffering narrow defeats, including a heartbreaking Super Over loss to Delhi Capitals.

While their top-order batters Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag, and Nitish Rana have shown some form, their bowling has been a major letdown.

The inability to control the flow of runs and pick up wickets at crucial moments has cost them dearly, leaving them to play only for pride in their remaining matches.

Teams:

Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag (capt), Nitish Rana, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey, Kumar Kartikeya, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Sanju Samson (injured).

Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (Captain), Jos Buttler (wk), B Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Nishant Sindhu, Kulwant Khejroliya, Gerald Coetzee, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar and Karim Janat.

Match starts at 7:30 pm.