Less than 48 hours after his whirlwind 29-ball 97, all eyes will be on again Vaibhav Sooryavanshi while Rajasthan Royals take on Gujarat Titans for a spot IPL 2026 final on Friday.
In front of the RR batting prodigy is one of the best bowling line-ups of the season. With Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna and Rashid Khan at their disposal, it is no surprise that GT will have more wickets this year ahead of the knockout game. The addition of Jason Holder has only strengthened the already tough bowling.
While GT takes on Sooryavanshi, who currently holds the Orange Cap for most runs in the season, RR’s Jofra Archer will have to contain Sai Sudharsan and Shubman Gill, who are in the top five of the same competition.
With the match at New Chandigarh, it is expected to be another high-scoring batting paradise expected from both the sides.
RR have the momentum in their favor as they have won their last two must-win encounters against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad. They also know the conditions better after humiliating SRH at the same venue in the Eliminator on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, GT were among the top two teams in the group stage but were dismantled by Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Dharmshala in Qualifier 1 on Tuesday.
How the two teams stack up
Both teams have a similar structure and have been dependent on a strong performance from the top order and rocked the batting line-ups with extra pace.
Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler have all scored, along with useful contributions from Washington Sundar for GT, while Sooryavanshi, Yashwasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel are stepping up for RR with strong knocks from Donovon Ferriera at the end of the innings.
The middle order has been largely disappointing for both teams, with minimal contributions.
Even with the ball, the two teams are heavy on pace. Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger have bowled over 145 wickets consistently and hit hard to trouble the best. They have been ably supported with clever variations by Brijesh Sharma, while Yash Raj Punja has made his mark as a leg-spinner with the ball.
On the other hand, Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj have played with great pace in most of the matches. Rashid Khan, though hot and cold this season, is a great match bowler and is a runaway match winner on his day. Jason Holder and Prasidh Krishna have made a massive impact in the middle order.
As the two bowling heavyweights go head-to-head, the enthralling top-order battle could decide who plays defending champions RCB in Ahmedabad on Sunday.
