Gujarat Titans v Rajasthan Royals: IPL 2022 Qualifier 1 match preview

The Cricketer takes a look at the next fixture in the 2022 Indian Premier League season

What's the match?

Gujarat Titans take on Rajasthan Royals in the Qualifier 1 match of the Indian Premier League. The winner will progress to the IPL final on May 29 while the loser will contest the Qualifier 2 on May 27.

When is it taking place?

The match will be played Tuesday, May 24 with play starting at 7.30pm local time (3pm GMT).

Where is the match being played?

The game will be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

Who's got the form?

Gujarat Titans have made a strong start to IPL life, winning 10 of their 14 group matches to finish top of the regular season table with 20 points.

Captain Hardik Pandya has been back to his best with the bat, scoring a team-leading 413 runs at a strike rate of 133.88 while David Miller (381 runs), Wriddhiman Saha (312 runs) and Shubman Gill (403 runs) have also shone. With the ball, Rashid Khan and Mohammed Shami have taken 18 wickets apiece.

However, the Titans head into this Qualifier 1 clash with just two wins from their past five matches. Having lost just once in seven attempts when chasing, they will be hoping to win the toss and bat second in Kolkata.

Rajasthan Royals also impressed in the group stage, winning nine of their 14 matches to finish in second position, pipping Lucknow Super Giants on net run rate. And unlike Gujarat, they finished the regular season on a high, recording three wins in their past four matches.

On paper, Jos Buttler has been Rajasthan's standout batter, with the England international blasting 629 runs in 14 innings. However, he hasn't reached double-figures in his past three innings. Fortunately, Yashavi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson and Devdutt Padikkal have stepped up during his dip while Ravichandran Ashwin is impressing as a finisher.

Rajasthan's leading bowling quartet of Ashwin, Yuzvendra Chahal, Prasidh Krishna and Trent Boult have taken a combined 65 wickets and are their side's most economical bowlers.

When these two sides met in the group stage, Gujarat Titans won by 37 runs.

^{Rashid Khan is Gujarat Titans' joint-leading wicket-taker}

What's the key match-up?

In the previous meeting between these two sides, Hardik Pandya was the difference, with Gujarat's skipper smashing 87 runs from 52 balls at No.4 before making a number of crucial involvements with the ball, including running out Sanju Samson and removing Jimmy Neesham.

Unfortunately for Rajasthan, in his most recent outing, Pandya scored 62 not out from 47 balls and shared yet another productive partnership with David Miller.

However, five of his eight bowler dismissals have come against right-arm pace, opening the door for Prasidh Krishna. The 26-year-old has taken 15 wickets in 55 overs and has an economy of 8.16.

Head-to-head record 

Matches played: 1

Gujarat Titans wins: 1

Rajasthan Royals wins: 0

What's the weather forecast?

A warm day is expected in Kolkata, with highs of 35 degrees Celsius, falling to 31 degrees by first ball of the match.

What are the squads?

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya, Shubman Gill, Rashid Khan, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Mohammad Shami, Lockie Ferguson, Abhinav Sadarangani, Rahul Tewatia, Noor Ahmad, R Sai Kishore, Dominic Drakes, Jayant Yadav, Viijay Shankar, Darshan Nalkande, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Prandeep Sangwan, David Miller, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Gurkeerat Singh, Varun Aaron

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson, Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, R 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, Jimmy Neesham, Nathan Coulter-Nile (injured/replaced by Corbin Bosch), Rassie van der Dussen, Daryl Mitchell

^{Rajasthan Royals will be hoping for a big performance from Jos Buttler}

What are the possible starting XIs?

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewetia, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami

Rajasthan Royals: Yashavi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson, Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy

What are the odds?

Gujarat Titans are the favourites to win this clash, with odds of 4/5. Rajasthan Royals are available at 11/10.

What's the prediction?

If Gujarat can chase and Hardik Pandya is on song, they should win this encounter.

Where can I watch the game?

In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.

Fans in India can watch all of the action on Star Sports.

Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.

Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.

Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.

The IPL can also be streamed on Disney+ and Hotstar in certain areas.