Rajasthan Royals will begin their IPL campaign in Jaipur without captain Riyan Parag, as the Gujarat Titans visit Sawai Mansingh Stadium for a high-stakes matchup. With Parag ruled out due to a hamstring issue, Yashasvi Jaiswal was handed the captaincy and immediately made a statement at the toss by choosing to bowl first, marking his maiden outing as skipper in the league.
Key takeaways
- Riyan Parag misses the game after aggravating a hamstring injury sustained in Rajasthan’s previous fixture against Delhi Capitals.
- Yashasvi Jaiswal captains Rajasthan for the first time in the IPL and wins the toss.
- Rajasthan opt to bowl first at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, aiming to chase a target.
- Rajasthan make two changes: Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja come into the playing XI.
- Gujarat Titans also shuffle their lineup, with Prasidh Krishna returning for Manav Suthar.
- Shubman Gill emphasises belief and execution in tightly contested matches.
Why Parag is out and how Rajasthan reshaped their XI
Rajasthan’s leadership plan was disrupted after Riyan Parag was ruled out with a hamstring injury picked up during their last outing versus Delhi Capitals, a match Rajasthan lost. His absence adds to the pressure on the Royals during a critical phase of the tournament, with the side already trying to regain momentum in the second half of the season.
Jaiswal, who led the team for the first time in IPL matches, confirmed that Parag is unavailable due to the same hamstring problem. At the toss, he also outlined the changes in the lineup, stating that Shimron Hetmyer and Yash Raj Punja were drafted into the XI to replace the players missing from the squad.
“We are going to bowl first. I think the wicket is pretty good and we want to chase it. Riyan pulled his hamstring last game, so I feel he’ll be coming back soon. Shimron Hetmyer comes in and Yash Raj Punja comes in. That’s the two guys who are coming in. I’m really excited, looking forward to the game,” Jaiswal said.
Gill’s toss call and Titans’ one change
On the other side, Gujarat Titans captain Shubman Gill also indicated that bowling first was the preferred strategy on the day at Sawai Mansingh Stadium. Gill pointed out that, while the team would have bowled first even without external factors, the bigger focus was on maintaining the standards that have helped them in close contests.
Gill revealed one change to the Titans’ playing XI: Prasidh Krishna returns in place of Manav Suthar. He stressed that teams need to revisit their strengths—whether as a batting unit or as a bowling group—and then back those strengths with belief and clean execution when matches are decided by fine margins.
“We would have bowled first as well honestly. We have got one change. Prasidh Krishna comes back in place of Manav Suthar. I think it’s important to look back at your strengths as a batting group or as a bowling group. What are the things that has got us so much success as a team. So, there were some areas that we went back and we reflected. Most of the games that we have played have been pretty close. So, it’s all about doing that extra effort, putting that belief in, and if something is going well for you, having the belief to be able to execute,” Gill said.
Playing XIs for GT vs RR
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI)
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Sai Sudharsan
- Jos Buttler (w)
- Nishant Sindhu
- Washington Sundar
- Jason Holder
- Rahul Tewatia
- Rashid Khan
- Arshad Khan
- Kagiso Rabada
- Mohammed Siraj
Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI)
- Yashasvi Jaiswal (c)
- Dhruv Jurel (w)
- Shimron Hetmyer
- Donovan Ferreira
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shubham Dubey
- Dasun Shanaka
- Jofra Archer
- Tushar Deshpande
- Brijesh Sharma
- Yash Raj Punja
