Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 9 of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL)at their home turf of the Narendra Modi Stadium later today.
Gujarat's season began on a disappointing note as they were beaten by Punjab Kings by three wickets. Meanwhile, Rajasthan started their season in style as they thrashed five-time champions Chennai Super Kings by eight wickets.
When these two sides squared-off the last time, records were broken and the league got its next star as a then 14-year-old Vaibhav Sooryavanshi hammered a 35-ball century. It made Sooryavanshi the youngest centurion in men's T20 cricket.
The teenager's profile has grown bigger in the ensuing eleven months and he has kicked-off the 2026 season in sublime fashion hitting a fiery fifty against CSK. The boy has ensured that the spotlight remains on him when he takes the field at the world's biggest cricket stadium.
In Sooryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal, RR have a solid partnership that promises runs at a brisk pace. The team is ladened with match-winners like captain Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer and Nandre Burge. These set of players make the team a good mix of youth and experience.
Against Punjab, Gujarat could muster only a score of 162/6. The biggest concern for the team is the form of Jos Buttler. The English batter struggled at the T20 World Cup and his poor form has extended in the IPL as well.
With Buttler out of form, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharshan will have to take the responsibility to do the bulk of scoring. If GT ends up getting a good score then the bowling which boasts of the likes of Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj can help the team to defend the total.
Date, Time and Venue
The match between Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will be played on Saturday, April 4 at 7.30 p.m IST.
Head to Head
Matches Played: 8
Gujarat Titans wins: 6
Rajasthan Royals wins: 2
GT v RR: Possible XIs:
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (capt.), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, M Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj.
Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (capt,), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma, Ravi Bishnoi.
Players to watch
Shubman Gill: Gujarat captain Gill needs to have a good game with the bat. With Buttler being out of form, Gill needs to do the bulk of the scoring for the team. If the Indian Test and ODI captain plays well, it will infuse the team with much more belief.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi: Sooryavanshi is the boy wonder of the IPL. The teenager's approach is to hit the ball and hit it hard so that it flies over the fences, repeatedly. Yet again, he will be the player to watch from the Rajasthan camp.
Weather
The evening in Ahmedabad will be mostly sunny with temperature around 32°C, according to Accuweather.
LIVE Telecast
The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports channels.
LIVE Stream CSK vs PBKS can also be streamed LIVE on the JioHotstar app.
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