Apart from firing at No. 4, Pandya has used his resources well, be it the death bowling of Rashid Khan or his batting exploits to go along with the pace duo of David Miller and Rahul Tewatia. Every little thing has fallen in place.
Their weak link was their top-order batting with high-class Shubman Gill failing to convert his starts but the addition of experienced Wriddhiman Saha did wonders for the team.
India’s dismissed wicketkeeper-batsman is batting with a newfound passion at the top of the order and has scored three half-centuries in nine matches to make up for Gill’s weak run.
While the Afghan leg-spinner has been excellent in the middle and death overs, senior India pacer Mohammed Shami has given him the right start by becoming the highest wicket-taker (11 wickets) in the powerplays this season.
Saha, who has been making headlines after being dropped from Team India, will try to make his point again by playing in front of the home audience along with Bengal teammate Shami.
The fact that the playoffs will be played on the new track will keep the seamer in mind and Pandya may try to bring in Alzarri Joseph to go along with Lockie Ferguson and Shami.
Titans had defeated the same opponents by 37 runs in the league stage but the inaugural edition champions have a spin-heavy attack to go with rich experience and could prove to be a tough customer.
The Titans are also looking weak as they have suffered three losses in the last five matches, with an eight-wicket loss by Royal Challengers Bangalore in their previous outing would mean that the Pandya-led side will have to step down.
three of
There have been four losses for Royals and four out of five for Royals while setting the target as the toss will also be a major area of concern.
The Sanju Samson-led season has both Orange and Purple Cap holders – Jos Buttler and Yuzvendra Chahal.
He also has the experience of Ravichandran Ashwin whose versatility has come to the fore especially in the second half of the season. Ashwin’s batting has also made a big difference.
5 against Chennai Super Kings on the second day, batting at No. 5 before his regulars Shimron Hetmyer and Riyan Parag, Ashwin scored an unbeaten 40 off 23 balls to register a five-wicket win, which also earned a place in their top two.
But for them to repeat their 2008-IPL winning performance, the Royals will not only need Ashwin, but will also need to set the top-order on fire.
Their leading run-getter Butler has been slow to end the business of the season with single-digit scores – 2, 2, 7 – in his last-three outings.
The Englishman, who has scored three centuries and three fifties this season, is yet to score a fifty in five innings and the Royals will desperately need to come back between the runs.
The poor form of Samson and Hetmyer has also loosened their batting and they would like to get into action before the big match.
The fact that the loser of Qualifier One will get a second shot to make it to the final will give both teams some breathing room.
Squad:
Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (Captain), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Gurkeerat Singh, B Sai Sudarshan, Shubman Gill, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Matthew Wade, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Wriddhiman Saha, Alzarri Joseph, Darshan Nalkande, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammad Shami, Noor Ahmed, Pradeep Sangwan, Rashid Khan, Ravi Srinivasan Sai Kishore, Varun Aaron, Yash Dayal.
Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c), Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Ravichandran Ashwin,
Boult, Shimron Hetmyer, Devdutt Padikkal, Prashant Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Riyan Parag, KC Cariappa, Navdeep Saini, Obed McCoy, Anune Singh, Kuldeep Sen, Karun Nair, Dhruv Jurel, Tejas Baroka, Kuldeep Yadav, Shubham Garhwal, James Neesham. Nathan Coulter-Nile, Rassie Doosan, Daryl Mitchell, Corbin.
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