RR players celebrating their victory against CSK (file photo)
Debutants Gujarat Titans are set to take on Rajasthan Royals in the first IPL Qualifier on Tuesday.
Hardik Pandya has been a revelation this edition as he led the team that is also top the points table from the front with both bat and ball.
From the death bowling spells by Rashid Khan to the the fiery duo of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia, Pandya has used his resources well.
Their weak link was their top-order batting with highly-rated Shubman Gill failing to convert his starts but the addition of veteran Wriddhiman Saha has done wonders for the team.
India pacer Mohammed Shami has given Gujarat perfect starts, by being the highest wicket-taker in the powerplay this season.
The fact that the playoffs will be played on fresh tracks would put the seamers in focus and Pandya may look to bring in Alzarri Joseph to go alongside Lockie Ferguson and Shami.
In their previous face-off, The Titans had defeated the Royals by 37 runs.
Even though they were the first team to seal their place in top four, GT have suffered three defeats in last five matches.
Three of Titan's four defeats, and four of Royals' five losses have come while setting up a target as the toss would also be a key area of concern.
The Sanju Samson-led team have both the Orange and Purple Cap holders this season, Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal.
They also have the experience of Ravichandran Ashwin who has also been good with the bat.
Buttler has slowed down in RR's last-three outings.
The Royals would desperately need him to be back among runs.
They also need to focus on their batting ahead of the big match.
However, the loser of the Qualifier One will get a second shot at making the final.
Full Squads:
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya, Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Trent Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anunay Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldip Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin Bosch.
Match Starts at 7:30 pm.
(Inputs from PTI)
