RR VS GT AT JAIPUR
The Gautam Gambhir vs Virat Kohli controversy continues as now, Gambhir has gone after Rajat Sharma (the host of the famous show Aap Ki Adalat). Rajat Sharma did the analysis of the tiff between Kohli and Gambhir, where he mentioned that Gambhir is jealous of Kohli’s success.
In turn, Gambhir went after Rajat Sharma with a harsh tweet on twitter. Although things went viral when a reply tweet came from a fake account of Rajat Sharma, that shook the entire social media.
· PREVIOUS ENCOUNTER – Both these dangerous sides clashed in Ahmedabad where Rajasthan won the toss and opted to bowl first. On the back of Gill and Miller’s 40s, GT finished at 177/7 in 20 overs. In reply, RR lost early wickets but Samson and Hetmyer hit fiery fifties that got Rajasthan over the line with 3 wickets in hand and 4 balls to spare.
· TEAM INFO – Rajasthan have the best spin attack of the tournament with Ashwin, Chahal and Zampa trio and they are being well assisted by the pace of Boult and the swing of Sandeep, which sums it up to be a very dangerous attack. In the batting, Jaiswal, Buttler and Samson have done bulk of the scoring. Although the lower order brilliance of Hetmyer and Jurel has allowed them to close many games. Coming to Gujarat, it’s a completely different ball game, where almost everyone contributes a portion with the bat and the ball for them to win the games. The defending team is managed in a way, which is yet to be understood and defined by most.
· Head-to-Head - Played - 4; Won by GT – 3; Won by RR – 1
· RR possible 12 – Y Jaiswal, J Buttler, S Samson, D Padikkal, D Jurel, S Hetmyer, R Ashwin, J Holder, T Boult, S Sharma, Y Chahal, K Sen
· GT possible 12 – W Saha, S Gill, H Pandya, V Shankar, D Miller, A Manohar, R Tewatia, R Khan, N Ahmad, M Shami, M Sharma, J Little
· Pitch & Weather Report – The pitch at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium is a balanced track. Batters will have to be patient early on. They will have to spend some time in the middle to get used to the conditions. Spinners are expected to play a key role. The conditions should be ideal for a game of cricket, with the temperature expected to be between 24 and 36 degrees Celsius.
· Match Prediction – Gujarat are leading the table, while Rajasthan are also well placed in fourth. Both these teams have been a stand out this tournament and with just 5 games to go, both will be looking for the first or second slots, which provide them with an additional opportunity for claiming the trophy, in the play-offs. One side has the spin trio, while the other side has the Afghani spin combo. With quality on both sides, this is anyone’s game, although with a slight advantage being towards Rajasthan with home conditions. So, as you all like it, it's going to be Rajasthani ‘Dal-Bhatti’ tonight.
FAN COMMENTS (BUSINESS OWNERS SPECIAL)
· It’s the kind of contest that one craves for. Two T20 specialist teams that are almost balanced in all aspects. Yuzi, Zampa and Ash on one side, while Noor and Rashid on the other side. I am supporting Rajasthan, but I don’t even mind my Gujarati neighbours winning, provided there is a good match. – Idris Solanki, 48, Owner/GlamHome Properties, Indian
· Being an Omani, I never thought that I would get addicted to this wonderful sport. A lot of credit has to go to the media and marketing that’s involved behind the promotion of cricket and IPL has a big hand to play. Now that I have started an academy in Mabella, I can see the crazy passion that people have for this game. – Asif Abdulsamad al Balushi, 39, Owner/IBN AbdulSamad Engineering Consultancy, Omani
· Cricket has been in my heart and soul since childhood. Even now when we are business owners, we contribute a good share of funds for the development of this game. Franchise cricket like IPL and PSL are the future of this sport and with time, international cricket will take a hit, just like football. – Jibran Yousuf, 37, Owner/IT Works LLC, Pakistani
· Cricket has been an integral part of my life in Oman and I have been managing a cricket team for almost 2 decades. It’s difficult to explain to someone the happiness and pride of owning a cricket team. To big players of different backgrounds under an umbrella and then to make them play for one another is definitely not easy. But then, passion brings interest and interest brings results. – Rajat Dewan, 56, Owner/Earn Trust Solutions LLC, Indian.
· With the IPL 2023, entering into the second stage, will the top 4 teams maintain their lead? Gujarat Titans are looking strong throughout the tournament with captain Hardik Pandya leading from the front in all departments, but will we see a shift in gear from the young guns of Rajasthan Royals with Yashasvi leading the attack from the front with the experienced Jos Buttler? I think that Rajasthan will look to close the gap on the points table and come out strong in their game against the Titans. It has been an exciting tournament so far but I believe that we haven’t seen the best of it just yet. -- Amit Sampat, 46, Naranjee Hirjee Group, Omani
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