Gujarat Titans, coming off a tough away clash against Punjab Kings in Mohali, will be aiming to rise to the top of the table when they take on leaders Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League match in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
History is on Hardik Pandya's side, which has won all three games against the Royals so far, and that would certainly play on the minds of the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit at the Narendra Modi stadium.
Who can forget the Titans' seven-wicket victory in the IPL 2022 final in only their first year, Pandya's side making it a one-sided contest, winning with 11 balls to spare.
The Titans' victories in the league phase too were an affirmation of the class and commitment of the team, which is currently placed third on the points table with six points -- same as Lucknow Super Giants and the Royals, with only net run-rate (NRR) separating the sides.
While both the sides are equally matched on the batting and bowling fronts, the psychological edge the Titans enjoy by virtue of the three wins last year could play a huge role in the contest.
On the other hand, Samson's side will be keen to break the jinx and show past results don't matter much.
With the core of the two sides almost the same, match-ups would have been well-researched and the team that is able to withstand the pressure better at the gigantic Narendra Modi stadium should emerge as the winner.
The Royals' top order has been one of the most devastating this season with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson helping the side to the highest average powerplay score of 66.8 among 10 teams in IPL 2023.
Besides, Buttler's powerplay strike rate of 196.6 is the best among batters, not to forget that he has scored a whopping 114 runs in those crucial six overs so far.
Also, Jaiswal's 92 at a strike rate of 184 in the powerplay overs so far is something the Titan's won't take lightly.
With matches being won and lost on the basis of how teams fare in powerplays, another cracking start for Royals on Sunday could earn them their first win against the defending champions.
With the likes of Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer and West Indian all-rounder Jason Holder in the middle order, the Royals bat really deep.
On the bowling front too, the Royals have the second-best economy rate of 7.3 thus far, just behind Royal Challengers Bangalore (6.3).
With all three top spinners -- Adam Zampa, Ashwin and Yuzvendra Chahal -- pressed into service in the Royals' game against Chennai Super Kings, which the last year's runner-up side won by three runs, it remains to be seen what will be their bowling strategy against the Titans on Sunday.
The Royals have won two matches -- against SRH and Delhi Capitals -- by huge margins, while their win against CSK was a touch-and-go affair, thanks to Dhoni's last-over power-hitting.
They are now set to face the toughest test of the season, what with the Titans having the likes of skipper Pandya, destructive middle-order batter David Miller, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan and their latest heroes -- all-rounder Vijay Shankar and Mohit Sharma in the ranks.
Shankar struck a 24-ball 63 against KKR at Ahmedabad, but it went in vain due to Rinku Singh's last-over brilliance, with the two-time champions winning by three wickets off the last ball bowled by Yash Dayal.
The Titans brought in 34-year-old pacer Mohit in place of Dayal for the clash against Punjab Kings and the defending champions, riding on his bowling figures of 4-0-18-2, won a thriller in Mohali.
Squads:
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (captain), Srikar Bharat, Alzarri Joseph, Josh Little, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Mohammed Shami, Darshan Nalkande, Noor Ahmad, Urvil Patel, Rashid Khan, Wriddhiman Saha, R Sai Kishore, Sai Sudharsan, Pradeep Sangwan, Dasun Shanaka, Vijay Shankar, Mohit Sharma, Shivam Mavi, Shubman Gill, Odean Smith, Rahul Tewatia, Matthew Wade, Jayant Yadav, Yash Dayal.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (captain), Abdul Basith, Murugan Ashwin, Ravichandran Ashwin, KM Asif, Trent Boult, Jos Buttler, KC Cariappa, Yuzvendra Chahal, Donovan Ferreira, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel, Obed McCoy, Devdutt Padikkal, Riyan Parag, Kunal Singh Rathore, Joe Root, Navdeep Saini, Sandeep Sharma, Kuldeep Sen, Akash Vasisht, Kuldip Yadav, Adam Zampa.
Match starts: 7:30 PM IST.
