IPL 2026 | Match 9: GT vs RR | Preview and Prediction

In Match 9 of the 2026 IPL season, the Gujarat Titans (GT) will seek to get back to winning ways, while the Rajasthan Royals (RR) will look to get a winning streak going, with the two one-time IPL champions locking horns in the second game of Saturday’s double-header.

For the game, here we present our preview and predictions.

IPL 2026 | Match 9: Gujarat Titans vs Rajasthan Royals | 19:30, 4 April 2026

GT’s opening loss was a game of two halves. Their ordinary batting performance was almost saved by a disciplined and high-quality bowling performance, which dragged the Punjab Kings into the last over.

The Titans’ batting seems to be too reliant on their top three of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, and Jos Buttler. While Sudharsan fell cheaply, Buttler and Gill were unable to capitalise on the starts that they got, which meant that the rest of the batting order was exposed and failed to get the better of what was a pretty tight and impressive Kings bowling attack.

Glenn Phillips flattered to deceive and was dismissed rather cheaply, and it took some wayward bowling in the last over from Arshdeep Singh for the Titans to cross the 160-run mark on a surface where 180–185 seemed to be the par score.

Their bowling, however, saw a marked improvement, especially the Indian contingent. Prasidh Krishna and Mohammed Siraj were disciplined, and it was Krishna’s three wickets that put his side right back into the game. Rashid Khan and Washington Sundar were equally disciplined in their lines and lengths.

However, Kagiso Rabada’s bowling performance will be a talking point for the Titans. He went for 34 runs in his three overs and was targeted by the PBKS batters to release the pressure whenever the required rate crept up. So, there are still a few chinks in the GT armour that need ironing out ahead of this game.

The Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, will welcome the winning start. A commanding performance saw them make easy work of the five-time champions, Chennai Super Kings. Their bowling unit, led by Jofra Archer and Nandre Burger, was impeccable, ably supported by Ravindra Jadeja, and bowled out CSK for a paltry 127.

With the bat, Yashasvi Jaiswal carried his bat throughout the run chase, but once again it was the audacious brilliance of teen starlet Vaibhav Sooryavanshi that stole the show and took the game away from CSK. The 15-year-old trailblazed his way to a 16-ball 50, making an absolute mockery of the Super Kings’ bowlers. The innings looked pristine despite it being a rather tricky pitch to bat on, given the rain ahead of the game and the sticky nature of the wicket.

RR will definitely fancy their chances against a GT side that has not yet clicked into full gear. We believe that it will be the Rajasthan Royals who win this match.

Fantasy XI: Shubman Gill, Vaibhav Sooryavanshi (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Nandre Burger, Jofra Archer, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna

Venue: Narendra Modi Stadium, Ahmedabad
Winners Prediction: Rajasthan Royals