3 key focus areas for Gujarat Titans ahead of IPL 2022 final vs Rajasthan Royals

The Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Sunday (May 29). The same two teams had met in Qualifier 1 in which Gujarat thumped Rajasthan by seven wickets by successfully chasing down 189.

The comprehensive win was set up by a brilliant unbeaten 68 by David Miller, while there were good contributions from skipper Hardik Pandya (40*), Shubman Gill (35) and Matthew Wade (35) as well.

GT also got the better of RR when the sides met in the league stage. That win came by 37 runs as Gujarat successfully defended a total of 192 for 4.

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IPL 2022 final: 3 things for GT to consider

While Gujarat will be confident of putting up a good performance in the IPL 2022 final, having already beaten them twice in the competition, we analyze three key areas they need to focus on.

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#1 Getting Buttler early

Rajasthan Royals (RR) opener Jos Buttler.

RR opener Jos Buttler will head into the IPL 2022 final with his confidence sky-high. After slipping a bit in the second half of the league stage, he has lifted himself brilliantly in the playoffs.

His 89 against Gujarat in Qualifier 1 was a mixed bag as he struggled for 70 percent of his innings and got going only at the end. However, he was completely on top of his game en route to his hundred in Qualifier 2, which knocked out the Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB).

Buttler has scored half-centuries in both the previous meetings between RR and GT in the competition. When the teams battled it out during the group stage, he clobbered 54 off 24 balls. Had Lockie Ferguson not cleaned him up, Buttler might well have lifted Rajasthan to victory in a chase of 193. If he gets going on Sunday, Gujarat could find themselves in trouble.

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#2 Better support for Shami and Rashid

Gujarat Titans (GT) leg-spinner Rashid Khan.

Gujarat have been impressive with the ball in IPL 2022. However, the focus has primarily been on two bowlers - Mohammed Shami and Rashid Khan. The duo, not surprisingly, are the leading wicket-takers for the franchise in the ongoing edition. They will be expected to deliver in the IPL 2022 final as well.

There will be some concern about the other bowlers though. In Qualifier 1, Yash Dayal went for 46 runs in his four overs, while Alzarri Joseph conceded 27 in two overs. R Sai Kishore also went for over 10 an over. Rashid was the best bowler for the team with figures of 0 for 15.

So there are some weak links in the bowling, which RR can exploit. In fact, even Shami had an off-day in Qualifier 1, going for 43 runs in his four overs. Gujarat’s bowling will be under the scanner in the IPL 2022 final.

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#3 Not lose too many early wickets

Will Matthew Wade rise to the challenge?

This is another area where Gujarat have been inconsistent. Wriddhiman Saha has done an excellent job at the top of the order since coming into the playing XI. However, Shubman Gill’s graph has gone up and down like a yo-yo.

The No. 3 position has been GT’s Achilles' heel right through IPL 2022. After failing as an opener, Matthew Wade has been given the responsibility of batting at one down. However, he hasn’t inspired much confidence although he did score a handy 35 in Qualifier 1.

Given that it's the final, GT are unlikely to make any changes in the top 3 in the batting order. However, irrespective of whether they bat first or second, they cannot afford to be two down quickly.

The likes of Hardik Pandya, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, and even Rashid have bailed them out of tough situations more than once. However, the pressure might be too much to pull off another heist in the IPL 2022 final.