IPL 2022: Final – Predicted Gujarat Titans Playing XI vs Rajasthan Royals

The stage is all set for the biggest game of the season, as Gujarat Titans will take on the Rajasthan Royals in the IPL 2022 Final on Sunday (29th May) at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad. The two best teams from the group stages will battle it out for the illustrious IPL trophy.

Gujarat will face a stern test from Sanju Samson’s Royals, who are looking for their 2nd title, after winning the inaugural IPL tournament in 2008. Hardik Pandya will be looking to emulate the display from Qualifier 1 when his side got over the line against the same opposition. Pandya wouldn’t be looking to tinker with his side before the big finale.

Here’s a look at the Gujarat Titans’ predicted playing XI against Rajasthan Royals for the Final:

Openers: Wriddhiman Saha (wk) and Shubman Gill

Wriddhiman Saha‘s time off the pitch has been surrounded by controversy after he decided to quit Bengal’s Ranji team. On the pitch, the opener has excelled for the Titans in IPL 2022. The wicketkeeper-batter has been quite severe on the bowlers during the powerplay as he has been fearless against pace bowling. He would like to come back strong in this match after his dismissal for a duck against the Royals in Qualifier 1.

Titan’s eye-pleasing opener, Shubhman Gill has breached the 400 run mark in IPL for the 3rd consecutive season. Unlike Saha, Gill has been watchful in the powerplay and has relied on his manoeuvring skills rather than power-hitting. The right-hander looked in great touch in the last game before getting run out on 35 runs.

Middle-order: Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c) and David Miller

Matthew Wade has failed to leave a mark on his long-awaited second stint in the IPL. The southpaw looked to have found some form in the last game against the Royals before being dismissed for 35. He is one of the big-game players in the squad and will hope to contribute more with the bat.

Hardik Pandya is having his most productive season with the bat in IPL history. The hard-hitting right-hander has curbed his instincts of recklessly hitting the ball and has looked solid at the crease. He led the team from the front in the last game as well, where he scored an unbeaten 40 of 27 balls to see his side home.

“Killer” Miller, as the left-handed hard hitter is known, David Miller made an unbeaten 68 to power Gujarat into the final early this week. The southpaw smacked three consecutive sixes off Prasidh Krishna’s final over to steer his side to victory. Miller is known for his power-hitting abilities at the death. But this year, he has looked more assured at the crease and is doing the business for the Gujarat Side.

All-rounders: Rahul Tewatia and Rashid Khan

Miller was the hero of the last game, but Rahul Tewatia has pulled off some dramatic victories for his side as well this season. His last-ball six to seal the game for Gujarat against Punjab Kings was one of the best moments of IPL 2022. The southpaw did not get a chance to bat in the last game but would be ready to contribute when the time comes because as long as Tewatia is at the crease, anything is possible.

Rashid Khan was Sunrisers Hyderabad’s best player over the last couple of years, and he has continued his excellent run in IPL with Titans as well. The Afghan spinner has bagged 18 wickets this season at an impressive economy of 6.73. Rashid was superb in the last game against Rajasthan, where he gave away just 15 runs in his four overs as the batters had a tough time picking his googlies.

Bowlers: Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal and Mohammed Shami

Sai Kishore has only played 4 games so far this season, but Pandya has relied on him to bowl some crucial overs for his team whenever a tough situation arises. Although he picked up the crucial wicket of Samson in the last game, he was expensive with the ball conceding 43 runs in his four overs.

Alzarri Joseph is probably the weakest link in the otherwise impressive Titans’ bowling unit. He has leaked runs at an alarming rate and has let down his teammates with some poor efforts on the field. The West Indian has bowled at a rapid pace but without much control. Pandya will hope for a better performance from the youngster in the final.

The left-arm pacer Yash Dayal was quite impressive in his initial few matches with his tight bowling lines. He has picked up ten wickets in eight games this year. He leaked runs against the Royals in the last game and in the process conceded 46 runs from his 4 overs. The Titans would hope that he comes up with a better performance in the all-important Final match of IPL 2022.

Mohammed Shami has been Titan’s most consistent bowler this year, the right-arm quick is just 2 wickets short of 100 wickets in the IPL, and will hope to reach the magical three-figure mark in the final of IPL 2022. The pacer has picked up 15-plus wickets for the fourth consecutive year in the IPL. He is also the leading wicket-taker for Gujarat this season.

Gujarat’s predicted playing XI for the RR Clash:  Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Shami.