Two teams, 12 points each, one ground, zero margin for error. On the virtue of a better net run rate of plus 0.510, RR sit fourth, while GT after their three wins on the trot are fifth with the worst net run rate among the top six teams at minus 0.147. Tonight in Jaipur, someone blinks. Your Dream11 picks need to be right before 7:30 PM IST.
RR vs GT IPL 2026 Match Details:
May 9, Sawai Mansingh Stadium, 7:30 PM IST
Match 52 of IPL 2026. Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur. Live on Star Sports Network and JioHotstar across all devices.
RR Predicted Playing 11 for May 9 vs Gujarat Titans
RR Probable XI based on current squad and selection signals:
- Vaibhav Sooryavanshi
- Yashasvi Jaiswal
- Dhruv Jurel (wk)
- Riyan Parag (c)
- Donovan Ferreira
- Ravindra Jadeja
- Shubham Dubey
- Jofra Archer
- Ravi Bishnoi
- Nandre Burger / Dasun Shanaka (selection call)
- Adam Milne / Tushar Deshpande
Impact Sub: Brijesh Sharma / Shimron Hetmyer
RR have a Burger problem and could make a change, bringing in Kwena Maphaka or Adam Milne, or replacing him with Dasun Shanaka who provides both batting and bowling options. There is also a chance Shimron Hetmyer returns to bolster batting depth.
GT Predicted Playing 11 for May 9 vs Rajasthan Royals
GT Probable XI based on current form and a winning combination:
- Shubman Gill (c)
- Sai Sudharsan
- Jos Buttler (wk)
- Nishant Sindhu
- Washington Sundar
- Jason Holder
- Rahul Tewatia
- Arshad Khan
- Rashid Khan
- Kagiso Rabada
- Manav Suthar / Prasidh Krishna
Impact Sub: Mohammed Siraj
GT handed Nishant Sindhu a debut in the last game and are unlikely to tinker with a winning combination.
Sawai Mansingh Stadium Pitch Report and Jaipur Weather: May 9
This season at Sawai Mansingh, the run rate is 11.69 and pacers have picked up 66.35 per cent of wickets compared to 33.33 per cent for spinners. On both occasions this season, targets above 220 have been successfully chased, highlighting how difficult it has been for bowling sides to defend scores.
Dew is expected to settle later in the evening and may influence conditions in the second innings, making captains at the toss lean toward bowling first. Evening temperatures are expected to stay between 33°C and 39°C before gradually cooling, with clear skies and almost no chance of rain interruption. Full 40 overs guaranteed. Bat second if you win the toss.
RR vs GT Dream11 Fantasy Team: Captain, Vice Captain and Key Picks
Captaincy Options
Safe Captain: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi has 404 runs at a strike rate of 237.64 this season, with two fifties and a hundred. Highest floor, highest ceiling against this exact opposition given his history.
Safe Vice Captain: Sai Sudharsan has scored 385 runs in 10 innings at an average of 38.50 and a strike rate of 158.44, already hitting three fifties and a century, underlining his consistency.
Unique / Differential Captain: Donovan Ferreira. His strike rate of 264.86 is the third highest for any batter facing more than 30 balls in the death overs in IPL 2026, and he has struck 11 sixes in this phase. Low ownership in most fantasy lobbies tonight, massive upside on a batting-friendly Jaipur track.
Unique / Differential Vice Captain: Washington Sundar. He bats in the top five and bowls in the powerplay and middle overs, giving him two routes to fantasy points. On a surface where spinners get grip in the middle overs before dew, he is a matchup monster who most players will leave out for a sexier name.
Must-Have Picks:
Jofra Archer has been the pick of RR’s bowling attack with 15 scalps in 10 games. Kagiso Rabada has claimed 11 wickets in the powerplay alone, the highest ever for him in any IPL season. Both are non-negotiable in any serious fantasy team tonight.
Suggested XI:
- Sooryavanshi (C) or Ferreira (C),
- Sai Sudharsan (VC) or Sundar (VC),
- Yashasvi Jaiswal,
- Shubman Gill,
- Jos Buttler,
- Donovan Ferreira,
- Washington Sundar,
- Rashid Khan,
- Jofra Archer,
- Kagiso Rabada,
- Ravi Bishnoi.
Key Battle: Gill vs Archer, Parag vs Rashid
Jofra Archer has dismissed Shubman Gill three times in six IPL innings. Riyan Parag has fallen to Rashid Khan twice in six innings in the IPL, with a strike rate of just 90 against him. These two individual matchups will almost certainly decide the result tonight.
Who Wins RR vs GT on May 9?
Home conditions and NRR cushion favour Rajasthan. But Gujarat Titans have won only one of three matches at this venue, while Rajasthan have won 28 of 49 at Sawai Mansingh overall. GT arrive with momentum and a bowling unit led by two of the best seamers in the tournament. On a track where par is 220, whoever wins the toss and bats second has a real edge. Expect 400 combined runs and a last-over finish.
Lucky Raina is a complete cricket writer chasing corporate dreams by day and cricket stories by night. Once a promising Under 16 cricketer, life took him down a different pitch but the love for the game never left.
