In match 9 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, Gujarat Titans will face Rajasthan Royals at Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Saturday. Historically, the matchup has remained in favour of the Titans, who have claimed victories in six of their eight encounters. 

Rajasthan have made a strong impression early in the season under their new captain Riyan Parag. Their opening game, played in Guwahati, saw them comfortably outplay Chennai Super Kings. They looked quite confident in both batting and bowling departments; that is something the Royals will look to carry forward.

The major positive for RR has been the explosive start from Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, who lit up the tournament with a blistering 15-ball half-century in their last game. Interestingly, it was against Gujarat last season that he first grabbed headlines with a breathtaking century off 35 deliveries. With a modest chase in their opening match, Rajasthan’s top order handled most of the work, showing positive signs early in the tournament. Their lineup looks well-balanced, with Dhruv Jurel anchoring at number three, Parag in the middle, and Shimron Hetmyer providing finishing firepower.

On the other side, Gujarat Titans find themselves needing a quick turnaround after beginning their campaign with a loss to the Punjab Kings. The bigger concern lies with the batting unit. Several players got off to decent starts but failed to push on and post a commanding total. Players like Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips and Jos Buttler would be expected to lead the charge. A crucial factor for Gujarat will be the form of Kagiso Rabada, who has struggled to find rhythm in recent outings. For the Titans to bounce back strongly, they will need Rabada to get back to his best. 

Head-to-head

Matches - 8

GT won - 6

RR won - 2

Gujarat Titans possible XII: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar, M Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Kagiso Rabada, Ashok Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Rajasthan Royals possible XII: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Sandeep Sharma, Nandre Burger, Ravi Bishnoi, Brijesh Sharma, Tushar Deshpande