🏏IPL 2025 - Match 47: GT vs RR on 28 April 2025 @ 7:30 PM IST🏏

🏏IPL 2025 - Match 47: GT vs RR at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur on 28 April 2025 @ 7:30 PM IST🏏

Bruised RR look to avoid knockout blow against fluent GT

It could be curtains for RR if they succumb to a seventh defeat in ten games

Two teams with contrasting runs

Rajasthan Royals need only look as far back as 2024 - the example of Royal Challengers Bengaluru, specifically, for inspiration. They made a stirring run to the playoffs at the back end, surging to six straight wins and qualifying with 14 points. RR need five on the bounce to get to the same points, but do they have the belief, especially after failing to close out three regulation chases?

Their climb up the points table will hard, not least because they now face Gujarat Titans, who have quietly built one of the most complete bowling units of IPL 2025, even as Rashid Khan has only shown flashes of his best.

Prasidh Krishna, back in the IPL after a long injury layoff, is in the form of his life: 16 wickets at 14.12 and economy rate of 7.29. Left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore isn't far behind, with 12 wickets at 16.33 and an economy of 8.22. Then there's Mohammed Siraj, bringing the heat, especially in the powerplay, with his zip and late swing.

Their batting is equally settled. Shubman Gill and B Sai Sudharsan may not go wham-bam from the start, but they've mastered the art of building an innings. Their 448 partnership runs are the highest by any pair this season. They served another reminder of this chemistry during a 114-run opening stand in their previous outing against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.

Sai Sudharsan, Gill and Buttler - the former RR star - combined have faced over 80 balls in seven of GT's eight matches. The formidable top three have taken pressure off a middle order that may seem slightly undercooked on the surface, but they've had their moments, like when Rahul Tewatia finished off a final-over chase against Delhi Capitals.

RR, by contrast, are a team in search of the right combinations, despite being the fastest scoring team in the powerplay (10.38) along with Punjab Kings (10.37). And that's because they haven't been able to maximise Yashasvi Jaiswal's fast starts and a recent surge in form.

Sanju Samson is still injured. Coach Rahul Dravid isn't sure of a recovery time frame yet. Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer have all struggled for batting rhythm, having now seen three seemingly straightforward chases turn pear-shaped. The burden of winning seems to have fallen squarely on Jaiswal with the bat and Jofra Archer with the ball.

GT are surging toward a top two finish. RR are simply trying to stay afloat, having now lost five games on the trot.

[Tag and Logo credit to Wildestdreams]

In the spotlight: Dhruv Jurel and Prasidh Krishna

Dhurv Jurel has struggled against spin, his strike rate of 105 this season a clear indicator. RCB capitalised on this in their previous clash, tightening the screws with Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma in tandem. With a strike rate of 195 against pace, on the other hand, is Jurel better used when fast bowlers are around? An RR batting shuffle could unlock his strengths.

Free of injuries, clear of his role of being a hit-the-deck, middle-overs bowler, Prasidh Krishna is enjoying a sensational return to the IPL after two frustrating years on the sidelines. His economy of 5.3 is the season's best in the middle overs among those who've bowled a minimum of 15 overs. He's also currently the joint-highest wicket-taker along with Josh Hazlewood.

Key stats

• Jaiswal is 37 away from 2000 IPL runs. He'll become the third-fastest Indian after Ruturaj Gaikwad (57 innings) and KL Rahul (60 innings) to get here. His 15 powerplay sixes are also the most by a batter this season.
• Archer has a favourable match-up against Gil in IPLl: three dismissals in five innings. Gill has managed just 10 runs while striking at 67.
• Hetmyer's death overs strike rate (156) has considerably dropped from 200 and 192 over the last two seasons.
• GT's top three are averaging (53.9), the highest this season.
• GT's middle-overs batting has improved drastically from last season. Their strike rate has jumped from 142 to 165, and their average has more than doubled from 26.8 to 61.1.

Pitch and conditions

Four of the seven games in Jaipur have been won by the chasing side since last year, with the average first innings score being 184. Day temperatures have crossed 40 degrees celsius; while the evenings will be a tad cooler, there's no escaping the oppressive heat that will take a toll on the players' fitness.

RR vs GT, IPL 2025: Sawai Mansingh Stadium Pitch Report

The pitch in Jaipur has always been conducive for spinners. The longer dimensions of this ground also make it to go after the bowlers who take the pace of the deliveries. Hence, ideally, winning the toss and batting first would be to the advantage of teams. However, the catch is not to overattack in the first innings and look for a total that is not possible.

RR vs GT, IPL 2025: Jaipur Weather Report

According to the Accuweather app, the temperature on the day in Jaipur on Monday could go as his as 40 degrees Celsius. However, in the evening it will be around 27 degrees Celsius, which is kinder for playing cricket.

Quotes

"As a middle order, there's lots of pressure off you by how our top three is batting. Yes, there is not much game time for few of us in the middle order but that's been compensated in practice."

GT's Shahrukh Khan does not feel the middle-order's lack of match time is a concern

Rajasthan Royals' return to Jaipur, their home city, after a fortnight is likely to be uncomfortably warm. And the summer heat is not the only reason. With three losses on the road since they last played a home game, has left them with only a mathematical possibility of qualifying for the playoffs.

On their return to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, they find themselves set to play with an opposition with a different motive. At this point, on paper, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals are staring at two extreme possibilities. One - with the joint most wins this season so far - is aiming to clinch the top spot in the league phase, while the other - with the joint-least wins - is hoping to avoid the wooden spoon. For that reason as the primary driver, the contest on Monday evening holds relevance.

Titans have the momentum and form riding in their favour, but they wouldn't want to make the race to the top two any more exciting than it already is by slipping up in Jaipur, a venue where they haven't lost as yet.

On the other hand, it wouldn't have been as terrible a position for Royals as they find themselves in now had they not come out second-best in three close encounters where they were positioned to win. That's not it. The spinners not turning up, loss of form for crucial players and the partial availability of their captain, Sanju Samson has all played its part to leave them with only two victories in nine games, and none so far in their primary home ground.

There is ample reason to believe that Royals have been much better than where they find themselves on the points table. But that's visibly not encouraging enough for them now. The new season and the new cycle have posed new challenges to Royals, and even with mathematical possibility of making it through to the playoffs on, they have already thrown in the towel. Maybe seeking respite from all the heat!

When: Monday, April 28, 2025, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

What to expect: Run scoring hasn't been the easiest in Jaipur, but that has allowed for a fair contest between the batters and bowlers. Expect another encounter where score in the range of 170-190 could provide for a thrilling contest.

Team Watch:

Rajasthan Royals:

Injuries/Unavailability: Sanju Samson will continue to sit out, and Riyan Parag will lead the side again.

Tactics & Matchups: Jofra Archer could be critical upfront. He has dismissed Shubman Gill thrice in the 15-ball face-off between the duo in IPL. Gill has managed to score only 10 runs against the English pacer. He hasn't had it much better against the other Royals pacers either. Akash Madhwal and Tushar Deshpande have also dismissed him twice each while he has scored at a strike rate of 65.62 against Sandeep Sharma.

Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande/Shubham Dubey

Gujarat Titans:

Injuries/Unavailability: Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee are likely to be unavailable for the contest.

Tactics & Matchups: Mohammed Siraj, who has the highest dot-ball percentage this season could be handy to keep the Royals batters in check in the powerplay, a phase in which they have dominated.

Probable XII: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma

What they said:

Death batting has not been that easy (this season). You have to be really skillful to get the ball out of the ropes as a batsman because the ball has obviously been changed. In the previous years, you see the ball gets wet and the execution becomes tougher. Now the execution is a bit more easier (for the bowlers) with the ball being drier - Shahrukh Khan, Gujarat Titans

We're probably out of the tournament in terms of the points table, but that doesn't mean there's not a lot to play for, obviously as a team we want to make sure we finish the season strong and continue playing well - Shane Bond, Rajasthan Royals' bowling coach

Head to head: Gujarat Titans have 6-1 win-loss record against Rajasthan Royals, winning both their encounters in Jaipur

Head to Head - Last 5 Matches

GT won by 58 runs, 10-Apr-2025

GT won by 3 wickets (with 0 balls remaining), 11-Apr-2024

GT won by 9 wickets (with 37 balls remaining), 06-May-2023

RR won by 3 wickets (with 4 balls remaining), 17-Apr-2023

GT won by 7 wickets (with 11 balls remaining), 30-May-2022