Gujarat Titans and Rajasthan Royals will battle against each other in the playoffs of IPL 2022. The GT vs RR, Qualifier 1 match of IPL 2022, will take place on May 24 at Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
Hardik Pandya is the skipper of Gujarat Titans in IPL 2022. The team finished at the top spot in the IPL 2022 points table with 20 points and grabbed a place in the playoffs. GT bagged ten victories in 14 games and lost four matches.
Led by Sanju Samson, Rajasthan Royals won 9 matches and lost 5 out of 14 during the league stage of IPL 2022. With 18 points, RR finished at the 2nd spot in the IPL 2022 points table and qualified for playoffs. RR equalled LSG with 18 points but maintained a better net run rate than them. Hence, they managed to get the 2nd spot.
Gujarat Titans defeated Rajasthan Royals by 37 runs during the league stage in the only game played between the two sides. Batting first, Gujarat Titans slammed a giant total of 192-4. Hardik Pandya shattered marvellous 87 not-out while David Miller scored a quickfire 14-ball-31. Abhinav Manohar also hit crucial 43 runs off 28 deliveries.
Bad Weather Threat
The IPL 2022 Qualifier 1 is under some severe weather threat. Severe storm and rain is predicted for the Day of Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals Qualifier 1 match on Tuesday. The weather conditions are such in Kolkata at this stage that on Saturday as well, the Press Box of Eden Garden was severely damaged due to a heavy storm.
According to BBC weather prediction, thundershowers and light winds are predicted in the evening of the 1st Qualifier.
Rains are also predicted for Sunday & Monday, which means even the outfield will be under some threat.
Toss Prediction
The team winning the toss might opt to bowl first. The dew factor often helps the team batting second, and hence many teams opt to bowl first after winning the toss. Eden Gardens is a good scoring ground, and the team might look to chase the score instead of defending it.
The team that will win the eliminator will play the losing side of the first qualifier in Qualifier 2 on May 27. The top two sides in the points table always get two bites at the cherry as an advantage for finishing at the top of the standings. The final will take place in Ahmedabad on May 29 between the winners of Qualifier 1 and Qualifier 2.
Top Fantasy Picks
Captain: Hardik Pandya
Vice Captain: Jos Buttler
Wicketkeeper: Sanju Samson
Jos Buttler, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Yuzvendra Chahal, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Ravichandran Ashwin