Shimron Hetmyer: (Most frustrating part) Not being able to finish the games that I think I should have. The last three games kinda just put a damper on a few things for me personally. Having to get 9 twice and in the last game we needed 40-something off 20-something when I got out, those three games really ... something I am thinking about most of the days when I am back in my room. (On Sanju Samson's absence) A player of his calibre not being able to represent us, it's difficult. You can't really plan injuries, that's just part of the game, we just have to try to move forward. For me, it's just to be there till the end really and also not take it to the last over. In T20 cricket, it's really easy to say you could just leave it till the end but I always believe if you can finish it in 15-16 and then go back to the hotel, that's fine with me. It's still a win at the end of the day. (On batting higher) There's not a lot I could possibly say to that but I guess we'll just wait and see how today goes.

Pitch Report | Daren Ganga and Matthew Hayden: "Third match at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in this season. It's relatively hot, there's a gentle breeze blowing across. It's pitch number 6, the square boundaries - 63m and 67m, down the ground - 71m. Two previous matches here this season, the average first innings score is 177. Since 2024, we haven't seen a 200+ score. When you look down at this wicket, you can see a very good grass covering, it's very hard, the cracks are slightly moving, so it may not be a 200+ wicket, but a 180+ score here will be in the game. It looks better than that. All the live grass here, you think the ball is gonna skid on nicely. Don't think there'll be any sideways turn either. When you think about the dimensions, they are juicy for these power-hitters. 180+ will be a very good total."

Rajasthan's opponent tonight is a team which just knows how to get the job done.

6.30pm local: Hello and welcome to our coverage of Match 47 which has the Rajasthan Royals taking on the Gujarat Titans.

Preview by Aayush Puthran

Rajasthan Royals' return to Jaipur, their home city, after a fortnight is likely to be uncomfortably warm. And the summer heat is not the only reason. With three losses on the road since they last played a home game, has left them with only a mathematical possibility of qualifying for the playoffs.

On their return to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium, they find themselves set to play with an opposition with a different motive. At this point, on paper, Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals are staring at two extreme possibilities. One - with the joint most wins this season so far - is aiming to clinch the top spot in the league phase, while the other - with the joint-least wins - is hoping to avoid the wooden spoon. For that reason as the primary driver, the contest on Monday evening holds relevance.

Titans have the momentum and form riding in their favour, but they wouldn't want to make the race to the top two any more exciting than it already is by slipping up in Jaipur, a venue where they haven't lost as yet.

On the other hand, it wouldn't have been as terrible a position for Royals as they find themselves in now had they not come out second-best in three close encounters where they were positioned to win. That's not it. The spinners not turning up, loss of form for crucial players and the partial availability of their captain, Sanju Samson has all played its part to leave them with only two victories in nine games, and none so far in their primary home ground.

There is ample reason to believe that Royals have been much better than where they find themselves on the points table. But that's visibly not encouraging enough for them now. The new season and the new cycle have posed new challenges to Royals, and even with mathematical possibility of making it through to the playoffs on, they have already thrown in the towel. Maybe seeking respite from all the heat!

When: Monday, April 28, 2025, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Rajasthan Royals vs Gujarat Titans, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

What to expect: Run scoring hasn't been the easiest in Jaipur, but that has allowed for a fair contest between the batters and bowlers. Expect another encounter where score in the range of 170-190 could provide for a thrilling contest.

Head to head: Gujarat Titans have 6-1 win-loss record against Rajasthan Royals, winning both their encounters in Jaipur

Team Watch:

Rajasthan Royals:

Injuries/Unavailability: Sanju Samson will continue to sit out, and Riyan Parag will lead the side again.

Tactics & Matchups: Jofra Archer could be critical upfront. He has dismissed Shubman Gill thrice in the 15-ball face-off between the duo in IPL. Gill has managed to score only 10 runs against the English pacer. He hasn't had it much better against the other Royals pacers either. Akash Madhwal and Tushar Deshpande have also dismissed him twice each while he has scored at a strike rate of 65.62 against Sandeep Sharma.

Probable XII: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Maheesh Theekshana, Akash Madhwal, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande/Shubham Dubey

Gujarat Titans:

Injuries/Unavailability: Kagiso Rabada and Gerald Coetzee are likely to be unavailable for the contest.

Tactics & Matchups: Mohammed Siraj, who has the highest dot-ball percentage this season could be handy to keep the Royals batters in check in the powerplay, a phase in which they have dominated.

Probable XII: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan, Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma

Did you know?

What they said:

Death batting has not been that easy (this season). You have to be really skillful to get the ball out of the ropes as a batsman because the ball has obviously been changed. In the previous years, you see the ball gets wet and the execution becomes tougher. Now the execution is a bit more easier (for the bowlers) with the ball being drier - Shahrukh Khan, Gujarat Titans

We're probably out of the tournament in terms of the points table, but that doesn't mean there's not a lot to play for, obviously as a team we want to make sure we finish the season strong and continue playing well - Shane Bond, Rajasthan Royals' bowling coach

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kunal Singh Rathore, Maheesh Theekshana, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma

Gujarat Titans Squad: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Washington Sundar, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj, Ishant Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Karim Janat, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Dasun Shanaka, Kulwant Khejroliya, Gerald Coetzee, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar, Nishant Sindhu