Gujarat Titans Have History On Their Side, Rajasthan Royals Want To Break Jinx

Gujarat Titans, coming off a tough away clash against Punjab Kings in Mohali, would be aiming to climb to the top of the table when they take on leaders Rajasthan Royals in an Indian Premier League (IPL) match in Ahmedabad on Sunday. History is on Hardik Pandya's side as the team has won all three games against the Royals so far, and that would certainly play on the minds of the Sanju Samson-led Rajasthan outfit at the Narendra Modi Stadium. Who can forget the Titans' seven-wicket victory in the IPL 2022 final in only their first year, with Pandya's side making it a one-sided contest, winning with 11 balls to spare.

The Titans' victories in the league phase too were an affirmation of the class and commitment of the team, which is currently placed third on the points table with six points -- same as Lucknow Super Giants and the Royals, with only net run rate (NRR) separating the sides.

While both the sides are equally matched on the batting and bowling fronts, the psychological edge the Titans enjoy by virtue of the three wins last year could play a huge role in the contest.

While on the other hand, Samson's side would be keen to break the jinx and show past results don't matter much.

With the core of the two sides almost the same, match-ups would have been well researched and the team that is able to withstand the pressure better at the gigantic Narendra Modi Stadium should emerge as the winner.

The Royals' top order has been one of the most devastating this season with the likes of Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler and Sanju Samson helping the side to the highest average powerplay score of 66.8 among 10 teams in IPL 2023.

Besides, Buttler's powerplay strike rate of 196.6 is the best among batters, not to forget that he has