Rajasthan Royals look to maintain early gallop

Nearly 1/3rd of the league stage of IPL 2024 is done and Rajasthan Royals and Gujarat Titans are set to take on each other in the 24th match of this edition. Around the same time last year, the Royals faced the Titans in the 23rd match and went on to win the game, making it four wins out of five to be at the top. The Titans managed to recover from the defeat, eventually topping the table with as many as 10 wins in the league stage while the Royals missed the playoffs cut after losing six out of their last nine matches.

The Royals are again at the top, this time unbeaten after four matches, while the Titans are placed fourth from the bottom. In a league populated by 10 teams, the room for error is minimum and the Royals will be well aware as they look to continue their winning run and ensure their domination doesn't fizzle out like it did the last time. The Titans, having suffered three losses out of five matches, will be hoping for a quick turnaround and a revival of their fortunes.

Jos Buttler's return to form, Sanju Samson and Riyan Parag's consistency, the depth and heft in the batting department - the Royals have had everything going their way so far. The bowling isn't far behind either. Trent Boult and Nandre Burger have proved to be a lethal combination and the world-class spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R Ashwin have flawlessly essayed the attack and defence roles respectively, which has made it difficult for the opposition batters to get away. If Yashasvi Jaiswal also gets amongst the runs and if Sandeep regains his fitness and returns to further bolster their bowling, it will complete the synergy for the Royals who have anyway functioned like a well-oiled machine so far in the competition.

The Titans, on the other hand, haven't been as consistent as they were in the previous two seasons. Their wins against Mumbai Indians and Sunrisers Hyderabad were hard-fought while they also suffered comprehensive defeats at the hands of Chennai Super Kings and Lucknow Super Giants, and were taken by surprise by Punjab Kings' lower order having dominated for most of the game. Their batting has mostly revolved around Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan but it's the absence of Mohamed Shami that has hurt them the most, along with Rashid Khan not being a major wicket-taking force for them this season.