GT vs RR Qualifier 2: Can Gujarat Titans stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s rampage?

After a disastrous loss against the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, the Gujarat Titans are going to face the Rajasthan Royals in the qualifier 2, and they will want to use most of the second chance. In the race for finals, there will be two names who could potentially damage the GT plans, none other than Vaibhav Sooryabhanshi and Jofra Archer, who have been having great outings since the last few matches.

The Mullanpur wicket will be set to offer a batting-friendly pitch again. New Chandigarh has largely favoured batters this season, with teams successfully chasing imposing totals of 220 and 223. However, conditions could be different this time as a worn-out surface may offer more assistance to bowlers and slow down scoring.

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There is a possibility of rain and even a brief hailstorm around 1 PM, though it is unlikely to impact the match. The weather remained overcast on Thursday, and strong winds forced ground staff to keep the pitch under covers during the evening.

Matchups and strategy

Qualifier 2 is going to be one of the toughest and a match to watch out for, as two teams with the same kind of set-up are going to take on each other. Six machine Vaibhav is going to be a potential threat, along with the inform opening partner Yashasvi Jaiswal. On the other hand, Sai Sudharshan and Shubman Gill, who are currently holding the second and fourth place in the orange cap leaderboard, will come to tackle the fierce pace of Rajasthan bowlers.

For Rajasthan, the rhythm of the GT bowlers is going to be a tough question. Siraj and Rabada have disturbed the RR batters a few times, and Yashasvi Jaiswal has struggled against spinners; he played against them only with a glaring strike rate of 111.11.

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Jofra Archer’s contest against Shubman Gill could be one of the defining battles of the match. Archer has dismissed Gill three times in seven T20 innings and will once again rely on his pace and deceptive bounce to keep the GT skipper in check.

Probable XII

Rajasthan Royals- Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(WK), Riyan Parag(C), Donovan Ferreira, Dasun Shanaka, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Yash Raj Punja, Brijesh Sharma.

Impact sub- Sushant Mishra/Tushar Deshpande/Ravi Bishnoi

Gujarat Titans- Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Nishant Sindhu, Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Arshad Khan/Sai Kishore, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj.

Impact sub- Prasidh Krishna