Jaipur (Rajasthan) [India] : Rajasthan Royals (RR) skipper Riyan Parag won the toss and elected to field first against Gujarat Titans (GT) in their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday.
With Gujarat Titans currently sitting second on the points table with six wins and two losses, they are in strong form heading into the match. In contrast, Rajasthan Royals, struggling after five consecutive losses, find themselves at the ninth spot and are desperate for a turnaround.
Explaining his decision, Parag said, “We’ll bowl first. Pretty similar wicket to the one we played against LSG. Should be a good wicket, some low bounce, saw some dew last night so bowling first. Everyone in our team has gone through situations like this and they know how to get out of it. We’ve had honest talks. Just have to put a game together collectively and hope for a good result.”
Highlighting the brutal nature of the IPL, Parag added, “We’ve played 35 overs of good cricket in the last three games. That’s how cruel the IPL is.”
RR made two changes to their lineup: Maheesh Theekshana replaces Fazalhaq Farooqi, while Yudhvir Singh Charak comes in for Tushar Deshpande.
GT skipper Shubman Gill, who also preferred to bowl, accepted batting first after the toss. “Would’ve bowled first as well. But it looks like a good wicket. Some grass on the wicket, always nice to see that. We are looking to take each game as it is, not looking at the past. Important to be ruthless in this format,” Gill remarked. Gujarat Titans made one change to their playing XI with Karim Janat making his debut.
Interestingly, both captains, Riyan Parag and Shubman Gill, share a rich cricketing history, having been part of India’s victorious squad in the Under-19 Cricket World Cup.
Playing XIs:
Gujarat Titans (GT): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (w), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Rajasthan Royals (RR): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak.
With the pressure mounting on RR and GT eyeing the top spot, the clash promises to be a thrilling encounter.