Gujarat Titans have another opportunity to go atop the standings if they beat Rajasthan Royals in what’s expected to be a cracking contest at the DY Patil Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Thursday.
Both teams are on six points each. But the Royals, currently on top, are ahead by virtue of a superior net run rate (0.951), compared to the Titans (0.097) who are placed fourth. The Titans, though, could have gone atop the table had they beaten Sunrisers Hyderabad in their previous game.
The Royals, on the other hand, go into the game after carving out a narrow three-run win over Lucknow Super Giants, riding on their bowling as well as strategies to defend 165, which isn’t really a match-winning total.
A fair analysis would say that the Royals have responded a touch better than the newcomers when it comes to responding in critical situations. Besides, they proved against Lucknow that they are not entirely dependent on opener Jos Buttler to perform with the bat. Shimron Hetmyer, although fortunate to get a reprieve early on, had also shown his capability of reviving the team’s innings in that game apart from being a consistent finisher for the Royals this season.
The Royals have most of their bases covered, but they believe they are yet to play their best cricket in the tournament. “There’s a lot we can improve upon,” said top order batsman Devdutt Padikkal.
“We’re progressing in every game and moving forward, which is a really good sign. Hopefully, we’ll continue to improve ourselves to fill those small gaps as a team.”
For the Titans, they do need a sizeable contribution at the top from their leading run-scorer Shubman Gill, who perished for just seven against the Sunrisers. They are also in need of captain Hardik Pandya’s pyrotechnics — he has been scoring at a modest strike rate of just over 100.