Can struggling Gujarat upset the rhytm of high flying Rajasthan?

Almost one third of the league phase of the Indian T20 League 2024 is done and Rajasthan and Gujarat are set to lock horns in match 24 of this season. Last year around the same time, Rajasthan met Gujarat in the 23rd match and proceeded to win the game, making it four wins out of five matches at first. Gujarat bounced back from the loss, eventually finishing at the top of the points table at the end of the league phase while Rajasthan missed the playoffs spot after losing six out of their last nine fixtures. 

Rajasthan are again sitting at the top, this time undefeated after four matches, while Gujarat are at fourth place from the bottom. In a league that has 10 teams, the margin of error is less and Rajasthan will be wary of it as they eye to continue their unbeaten run and make sure their domination doesn’t fade off like it did the last time. Gujarat, having lost three of their last five matches, will be looking for a quick turnaround and chance of fortunes. 

Jos Butler’s return to form, Riyan Parag’s consistency, Sanju Samson’s game awareness and the depth and balance in the batting prowess- Rajasthan have had everything going their way thus far. The bowling department has also done exceptionally well. Trent Boult and Nande Burger have been deadly with the new ball then they possess the world class spin duo of Yuzvendra Chahal and R.Ashwin have effortlessly portrayed the attack and defence roles respectively, which has made life difficult for opposition batters. If Yashasvi Jaiswal also comes to the party and if Sandeep Sharma regains full fitness and returns to further strengthen their bowling, it will complete the synergy for the Rajasthan who anyway are functioning like a well oiled unit. 

Gujarat, on the other hand, have struggled to find their feet in the tournament. Alike the previous two seasons where they used to completely annihilate their opponent, Gujarat have barely managed to scrap two wins this year. Their batting has mostly revolved around the likes of Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan but the unavailability of Mohammad Shami, who has been ruled out of the tournament, has hurt them dearly. In the bowling department Rashid Khan has floundered and struggled to pick wickets.