Ahmedabad will be on high alert on Saturday night as it could be cloudy with the possibility of raining sixes at the Narendra Modi Stadium when young batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi takes the field against Gujarat Titans at Rajasthan Royals on April 4. The two sides are set to clash in the highly anticipated Premier League (206) Indian High Scoring League (IPL2) will be India’s 2light. on a 15-year-old prodigy born in Bihar.
It will be a momentous occasion for Sooryavanshi, who grabbed the headlines last season with the second-fastest century of the tournament against the same opposition. This shift introduced the world to the young man’s extraordinary talent, as scored a hundred off 35 balls against a stellar GT bowling attack with the likes of Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan.
But he may not be the only one celebrating the fury in Ahmedabad. RR have another up-and-coming sensation, Yashaswi Jaiswal, whose IPL strike rate of 151.69 may seem modest compared to Sooryavanshi, but he has the power to destroy opposition attacks in his time. In fact, the duo is on track to become the fastest Indian pair to reach 500 runs partnership (per balls) in IPL history.
While Rajasthan boasts of powerful openers, Gujarat Titans have stacked their own firepower in the top order with Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler. Last season, the trio scored 1,967 runs, accounting for 72.54% of GT’s total runs in IPL 2025.
It promises to be a top-order showdown in Ahmedabad, but GT can count on them to strengthen their middle-order after him. their defeat against the Punjab kings at Mullanpur.
The combined batting average of the GT middle order (#4-7) in 2025 was 22.18, one of the lowest in the tournament. against PBKS, GT-like fights reappeared he managed only 150 after Buttler’s wicket in the 16th over with a score of 129. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi became the youngest centurion in the IPL against GT last year. (Photo: Reuters)
GT V RR: HEAD TO HEAD
The two teams have met eight times in the IPL, with GT winning six and RR twice. At the Narendra Modi Stadium, which hosted the IPL 2022 final between the two teams, GT once again has the historical upper hand, 2-1.
In the spotlight
Jos Buttler, the former England captain, seemed to be behind in the recently concluded ICC T20 World Cup and in GT’s first match of the season he looked shattered as he scored 38 off 33 balls in a losing cause. Despite this, the coach and players continue to support him to regain his form.
“He is a top player and there is no doubt about that. I think you have no doubt about that either. Yes, he had a bad 1-1.5 months which can happen to any player and it has happened to most top players including Sachin Tendulkar and Virat Kohli. But these players always come back,” he said Aashish Kapoor, assistant coach of GT, at the pre-match press conference.
Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has already made a sensational start to the season with the third fastest fifty against Chennai Super Kings. His partnership with Jaiswal could prove crucial in RR’s bid to maintain the momentum.
“He loves batting. I told the coaches he can bat as much as he wants and he does things like his 15-ball half-century against CSK. Dhruv and I were in awe till the fourth game. I’m really happy to have him in my team,” said RR captain Riyan Parag.
TACTICAL NUANCES
Against CSK, Nandre Burger proved lethal, dismissing two of the top three without much damage. He could be RR’s trump card against GT’s top order. Besides, Jofra Archer, who can bowl over 140 kmph, has the upper hand against GT skipper Shubman Gill, who claimed three dismissals in 19 balls and conceded just 16 runs.
Ahmedabad with a run rate of 8.54 in the overs, which is low compared to 9.87 in the middle overs and 10.12 in the death overs. RR will look to capitalize on this by crippling GT early.
On the other hand, GT’s inability to finish games, seen against PBKS, may affect their race for a top-four finish. Despite Prasidh Krishna’s fiery spell, Kagiso Rabada could replace him with Jason Holder to bolster GT’s bowling and batting depth in the middle.
BACK AND WEATHER: A BALLSMAN’S PARADISE?
Ahmedabad was the highest-scoring venue in IPL 2025, with 11 totals crossing 200 and an average first-innings score of over 200. Saturday’s clash is likely to be another run-fest. Historically, teams batting first have the advantage, winning seven of nine games at that spot last season. Clear weather is expected with temperatures around 33°C.
GT vs RR: TEAM NEWS AND PREDICTED XI
Gujarat Titans Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada/Jason Holder, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj
Impact Player: Prasidh Krishna
Rajasthan Royals Likely XI: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Riyan Parag (c), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger, Brijesh Sharma
Impact Player: Donovan Ferreira
Both teams are not worried about injuries due to the match.
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Published on:
04 Apr 2026 15:47 IST
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