The caravan of the 2022 edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) has reached Kolkata for the Playoffs. In Qualifier 1, Gujarat Titans (GT) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) will lock horns at the Eden Gardens on Tuesday night in the quest to book a spot in the final, on 29 May in Ahmedabad.
Gujarat Titans have had a dream debut in the IPL under the impressive leadership of Hardik Pandya. They finished at the top of the points table at the league stage, having lost just four out of 14 matches. Along with the all-round skills of Pandya, the performances of two Bengal cricketers – Wriddhiman Saha and Mohammed Shami – have stood out. Rashid Khan, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Shubman Gill and others have picked up their game as the tournament progressed. Overall, Gujarat have showcased a perfect example of team game.
Rajasthan Royals, on the other hand, were initially a bit overdependent on the likes of Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal. However, as the season progressed, others like Shimron Hetmyer, R. Ashwin, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult have chipped in with useful contributions. In this crunch game, they will want captain Sanju Samson, who has been having an inconsistent season, to come good.
This will be the first game of the IPL 2022 at the Eden Gardens. The pitch is likely to be fresh with a fair bit on bounce on the surface that will help the fast bowers. Due to the true bounce on the surface, the stroke players will enjoy batting here. The weather in Kolkata has been wet in last few days, but it may not rain during the match, and we may have a full match.
Likely XIs
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson (c & wk), Devdutt Padikkal, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, R. Ashwin, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy
Fantasy tips
- Back the batters from both teams to get going this evening.
- Back the fast bowlers – Boult, Prasidh, Shami, Ferguson, Dayal – to take the bulk of the wickets.
- Dew can be a factor in Kolkata in the second half of the match. Pick more batters from the chasing team in your fantasy XI.
Where to watch
Live streaming of Qualifier 1 IPL 2022 between Gujarat Titans (GT) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR) will start from 7.30 PM IST on 24 May. You can watch the match on the Star Sports Network and Hotstar.