PTI
Mullanpur
Gujarat Titans will have their task cut out against teenage batting sensation Vaibhav Sooryavanshi when they face Rajasthan Royals in Qualifier 2 of the IPL here on Friday.
The 15-year-old left-hander has emerged as the tournament’s biggest attraction after his stunning 97 off 29 balls against Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Eliminator. His fearless strokeplay has given Royals tremendous momentum heading into the knockout clash.
GT pace spearheads Mohammed Siraj and Kagiso Rabada were both taken apart by Sooryavanshi earlier this season, though Siraj eventually dismissed him with a short ball. The Titans are likely to test the youngster again with pace and bounce on what is expected to be another batting-friendly surface.
Royals have relied heavily on Sooryavanshi and Jofra Archer, whose fiery spell proved decisive in the Eliminator. Yashasvi Jaiswal and Dhruv Jurel have also chipped in, though RR’s middle-order collapse against SRH exposed concerns over their finishing.
MATCH STARTS@7.30 PM
GT, meanwhile, will once again depend on the consistent trio of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler. Their bowling unit, among the best this season, faltered badly in the defeat to Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Qualifier 1.
Another high-scoring contest is expected, with Sooryavanshi set to remain the centre of attention.
