Rajasthan Royals will once again be unable to avail the services of Sanju Samson as they take on GT on Monday. RR, who will be led by Riyan Parag, are all but out of IPL 2025, having won just two out of nine matches so far. RR are expected to stick with the same playing XI they fielded in the last match as they fight for pride.
Predicted RR playing XI vs GT
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (C), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Sandeep Sharma, Kwena Maphaka
Impact player: Maheesh Theekshana
All eyes on top 5
Jaiswal will once again be heavily relied on to provide the team with a whirlwind start. After a string of poor scores, the southpaw has looked in good touch over the last four games, having scored three half-centuries.
His partner, 14-year-old Vaibhav Suryavanshi, will get one more game as Samson misses the clash against GT due to injury. RR will hope that the youngster will continue to display his fearless brand of cricket and not throw away his wicket after a good start.
Rana and Parag will have to step up and deliver in the game against GT. By no means will their jobs be easy, especially while facing the likes of Siraj, Krishna and Kishore.
Another point of concern for RR will be Hetmyer. So far, the Caribbean star has failed to fire in IPL 2025, leaving the team in a lurch when it comes to finishing games.
Kwena to get first game
With RR almost out of the tournament, Parag might give a chance to the benched Kwena Mapakha. The South African speedster has been on the sidelines since the start of the tournament. He is expected to make it to the playing XI for the game against GT, providing support to Archer and Sharma.
Meanwhile, RR can use Theekshana as an impact player, allowing Shubham Dubey to play as an extra batter.
RR squad for IPL 2025
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Jofra Archer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Tushar Deshpande, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kunal Singh Rathore, Maheesh Theekshana, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma
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