After a minor blip against Lucknow Super Giants halted their near-perfect run in IPL 2025, Gujarat Titans will look to bounce back strongly in the top-of-the-table clash against a confident Delhi Capitals at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in an afternoon game on Saturday.
Having registered four consecutive victories, the Shubman Gill-led side will be eager to regain the momentum that was broken by a six-wicket loss in their previous match.
With teams beginning to find their core and aiming for consistency as the IPL enters a crucial mid-season phase, the Titans, currently placed second, will be up for a challenging task against another well-oiled unit in the top-placed Capitals, who have five wins in their six games, and are fresh from registering a nervy Super Over win in the previous match.
Both teams have a well-settled core, with most departments firing in unison.
The Titans boast of a rock solid top order, with Sai Sudharsan and skipper Gill consistently providing brisk starts, to set the stage for the middle order to explode. Englishman Jos Buttler is in sublime touch, while Sherfane Rutherford and Shahrukh Khan have been impressive in providing the late order acceleration, perfectly complementing the top order, to help GT post formidable totals.
On the bowling front, Mohammed Siraj has been lethal, spearheading the pace attack with early breakthroughs. Prasidh Krishna has supported brilliantly. GT will however, expect their spinning spearhead Rashid Khan to find his rhythm soon even though the other spinner in Sai Kishore has been in red-hot form.
On the other hand, Delhi Capitals are flying high on confidence after becoming the first team this season to reach 10 points. Their previous outing against Rajasthan Royals was a sensational thriller, with Mitchell Starc bowling a game-changing final over to force a Super Over, which DC went on to win.
The Delhi outfit hasn’t been bothered much despite the absence of the experienced Faf du Plessis as young Abishek Porel has filled the void admirably, delivering quick-fire starts. The focus will once again be on the talented Jake Fraser-McGurk, who is still searching for a breakout performance this season.
However, the addition of Karun Nair has given the side much-needed depth and composure to the lineup, while KL Rahul and Tristan Stubbs have provided solidity and consistency in the middle order. Skipper Axar Patel has also chipped in with brief cameos, lending power to their batting order.
In the bowling department, Australian quick Starc has been outstanding with the new ball as well as in the death overs, while young Vipraj Nigam has been the biggest positive for the side this season. Skipper Axar Patel and left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep Yadav are established names in Indian cricket, and the spin duo will once again be instrumental for the side.
Squads:
Gujarat Titans: B Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (C), Jos Buttler (WK), Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Nishant Sindhu, Kulwant Khejroliya, Gerald Coetzee, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar, Karim Janat, Dasun Shanaka
Delhi Capitals: Axar Patel (C), Jake Fraser-McGurk, Faf du Plessis, Abishek Porel (WK), Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mohit Sharma, Mukesh Kumar, Karun Nair, Donovan Ferreira, Tripurana Vijay, Darshan Nalkande, Dushmantha Chameera, KL Rahul, T Natarajan, Ajay Jadav Mandal, Manvanth Kumar L, Madhav Tiwari.