Gujarat Titans (GT) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in the 9th match of IPL 2026 at Ahmedabad, with both sides entering the contest on the back of contrasting opening results.

GT suffered a narrow three-wicket defeat against Punjab Kings in their season opener after posting 162, which was chased down in the final over. Shubman Gill led the batting effort with 39 runs, while Jos Buttler added 38. Prasidh Krishna was the standout bowler, taking 3 for 29 in his four-over spell.

In contrast, Rajasthan Royals began their campaign with a dominant eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings. Chasing 127, RR completed the target in 12.1 overs, powered by Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s explosive 52 off 17 balls and Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 38. The bowling unit also delivered strongly, with Jofra Archer, Nandre Burger and Ravindra Jadeja taking two wickets each.

Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals: Predicted playing XIs

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

Rajasthan Royals (probable): Vaibhav Sooryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Donovan Ferreira, Ravindra Jadeja, Jofra Archer, Ravi Bishnoi, Nandre Burger, Sandeep Sharma

Impact subs: Brijesh Sharma, Ravi Singh, Shubham Dubey

GT vs RR: Head-to-head record

GT and RR have met 8 times in the IPL, with Gujarat Titans winning 6 matches compared to Rajasthan Royals’ 2 victories.

GT vs RR: Match analysis

The Ahmedabad surface is expected to slightly favour Gujarat Titans, with their bowling attack led by Rashid Khan and Mohammed Siraj well-suited to the ground’s large boundaries and true bounce. However, RR’s pace duo of Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger could exploit early movement to challenge GT’s top order.

Both teams also bring strong middle-order depth, making running between the wickets and strike rotation crucial. While Rajasthan’s athletic batting unit could benefit from quick scoring conditions, Gujarat Titans’ familiarity with home conditions and balanced attack may give them a slight edge.