Gujarat Titans (GT) skipper Hardik Pandya won the toss and opted to field first at Eden Gardens, Kolkata in Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022 first qualifier. Pandya made just one change to his side. In place of Kiwi speedster Lockie Ferguson, Pandya brought in West Indies' Alzarri Joseph for the big clash.
“Looks a decent track to bat on, but no matches in the last couple of months and just want to know what we are chasing. Boys are pretty pumped up for this game. We treat this game as simple as possible and make sure you focus on what is controllable and making sure the intensity is high and aware of what the situation demands. Only one change. Alzarri (Joseph) comes in for Lockie,” Pandya said after winning the toss.
On the other hand, Sanju Samson did not make a change to the winning combination.
“We have done well batting first, looks like a decent batting wicket let's see what happens. Important to keep your focus on the present game and take care of what is controllable,” Samson said after losing his 13th toss of IPL 2022.
“Never thought much about the Purple Cap, the plan was always to finish in the top two and happy to get that. Backed myself on doing the things I’m good at, just kept my focus on delivering game by game. The title is always important, much more than the Purple Cap. The preparation has been good, everyone is positive and excited for this game,” Yuzvendra Chahal said before the qualifier.
GT XI: Wriddhiman Saha(w), Shubman Gill, Matthew Wade, Hardik Pandya(c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Yash Dayal, Alzarri Joseph, Mohammed Shami
RR XI: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Jos Buttler, Sanju Samson(w/c), Devdutt Padikkal, Ravichandran Ashwin, Shimron Hetmyer, Riyan Parag, Trent Boult, Prasidh Krishna, Yuzvendra Chahal, Obed McCoy
