IPL 2026: Ahmedabad is set for an electrifying evening on Saturday as all eyes will be on young sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi when Rajasthan Royals take on Gujarat Titans on April 4 at the Narendra Modi Stadium.
With both teams ready for what promises to be a high-scoring IPL 2026 clash, the spotlight will firmly be on the 15-year-old who scored 17-ball 52 against Chennai Super Kings.
Suryavanshi, who grabbed headlines last season with the tournament’s second-fastest century against the same rivals. His 35-ball hundred against Gujarat Titans’ star-studded bowling lineup which included Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, and Rashid Khan announced the arrival of an extraordinary talent.
Rajasthan Royals also have another young opener, Yashaswi Jaiswal, whose IPL strike rate of 151.69 may appear modest next to Suryavanshi’s, yet he has the firepower to dismantle bowling attacks when in form. Together, the duo is fast approaching a record, on course to become the quickest Indian pair to reach 500 partnership runs (by balls) in IPL history.
While Rajasthan Royals boast explosive openers, Gujarat Titans have packed their top order with heavy hitters like Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, and Jos Buttler. Last season GT’s top-order scored a total of 1,967 runs, contributing a whopping 72.54% of GT’s total in IPL 2025.
Ahmedabad is set for a top-order battle, but GT may need their middle order to deliver after their recent loss to Punjab Kings in Mullanpur. GT’s middle-order batsmen had a combined average of just 22.18 in 2025, one of the lowest in the tournament. Their struggles continued against PBKS, as GT managed only 150 runs.
Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals IPL 2026 match no 9 Playing 11
Gujarat Titans Playing XI: Kumar Kushagra, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan(c), Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Impact Player: Shahrukh Khan, Jason Holder, Manav Suthar, Anuj Rawat, Jayant Yadav
Rajasthan Royals Playing XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Dhruv Jurel(w), Riyan Parag(c), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
Impact Player: Ravi Bishnoi, Lhuan-dre Pretorius, Sushant Mishra, Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Singh