3 player battles to watch out for in GT vs RR, Match 23 of IPL 2025 ft. Mohammed Siraj

Match 23 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) will see Gujarat Titans (GT) going up against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Wednesday, April 9. The contest will be played at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

It’ll be an interesting match as the IPL 2022 finalists face off at the same venue. GT and RR played the summit clash of the 2022 season in Ahmedabad, where the home side lifted their maiden title. RR’s wait for their second IPL title has continued since the inaugural edition.

Both teams have quality players on the side, with the top-order batters of both teams in form. Hence, it’ll be a task for the bowlers to keep their opposition batters in check. That being said, here’s a look at three player battles to look out for in the GT vs RR game:

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#3 Shubman Gill (Batter) vs Jofra Archer (Bowler)

Shubman Gill showed tremendous composure in GT’s previous game against SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH). He’s been in good form with the bat, and will be back at one of his favorite venues - the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Jofra Archer’s start to his IPL 2025 campaign was one to forget, but he moved on quickly and has since caught attention for the right reasons. For his knack for picking up wickets in the powerplay, Archer will play a key role with the ball against GT.

In T20s overall, the Englishman has dismissed the Indian batter twice in 13 deliveries of four innings, whereas Gill has scored just nine runs in these outings.

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#2 Jos Buttler (Batter) vs Wanindu Hasaranga (Bowler)

Former RR player Jos Buttler will now be up against the Men in Pink while plying his trade for GT. The Englishman had a tremendous career with RR, donning the pink jersey, but will now play against some of his former teammates, especially the skipper, who might strategize against him.

Wanindu Hasaranga is in good touch and has proved to be a crucial cog in the RR lineup for his ability to pick up wickets at important junctures of the game. If Buttler takes the game long and stays on the crease strong, then Samson might place him against the Sri Lankan spinner.

In 47 balls of five innings facing the Lankan, the former England skipper has notched 49 runs at a strike rate of 104.25, falling prey to him once.

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#1 Yashasvi Jaiswal (Batter) vs Mohammed Siraj (Bowler)

Yashasvi Jaiswal’s outings with the bat have been up and down, with the youngster putting up a mix of performances. Nonetheless, he’s coming on the back of a brilliant knock against Punjab, having scored a 45-ball 67, studded with five sixes and three fours.

Mohammed Siraj, meanwhile, is proving every critic wrong and letting the ball do the talking. He bagged the Player of the Match Awards in GT’s last two games for registering a three-wicket haul, followed by a four-wicket haul, both to help his team win.

Siraj and Jaiswal have represented India together on several occasions, and the duo have also spent a lot of time in the nets while representing their nation. They know their game well, and hence the RR opener has 40 runs against the GT pacer in 32 deliveries. Siraj has dismissed him once in these six innings, and hence this will be a battle worth watching.