NEW DELHI: Rajasthan Royals captain Riyan Parag won the toss and elected to bowl first against Gujarat Titans in their IPL 2025 clash at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Monday. Rajasthan Royals are currently ninth on the points table, having managed just two wins from nine matches. In contrast, Gujarat Titans sit second with 12 points, registering six wins and two losses from eight games. A victory on Monday would propel them to the top of the table.
Rajasthan Royals made two changes to their playing XI.
“We’ll bowl first. Pretty similar wicket to the one we played against LSG. Should be a good wicket, some low bounce, saw some dew last night so bowling first. Everyone in our team has gone through situations like this and they know how to get out of it. We’ve had honest talks. Just have to put a game together collectively and hope for a good result. We’ve played 35 overs of good cricket in the last three games. That’s how cruel the IPL is. Two changes: Farooqi goes out, Theekshana comes in. Tushar goes out and Yudhvir comes in,” Parag said at the toss.
Meanwhile, Gujarat Titans, the 2022 champions, made one change to their XI.
“Would’ve bowled first as well. But it looks like a good wicket. Some grass on the wicket, always nice to see that. We are looking to take each game as it is, not looking at the past. Important to be ruthless in this format. One change: Karim Janat makes his debut,” GT captain Shubman Gill said.
Playing XIs:
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (w), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Karim Janat, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Yudhvir Singh Charak
Impact Substitutes:
Gujarat Titans: Ishant Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Arshad Khan, Dasun Shanaka
Rajasthan Royals: Shubham Dubey, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Tushar Deshpande, Kunal Singh Rathore
Who is Karim Janat?
Karim Janat is a talented Afghan cricketer renowned for his all-round abilities, excelling as a right-handed batsman and a right-arm medium-fast bowler. Born on August 11, 1998, in Kabul, Afghanistan, he has been a key part of the national setup since making his debut in 2016.
Janat made an impressive start to his international career in a T20I against the United Arab Emirates on December 14, 2016, claiming three wickets and scoring 25 runs to earn the Player of the Match award. He made his ODI debut against Zimbabwe on February 24, 2017, and later stepped into Test cricket on June 14, 2023, against Bangladesh.
In T20Is, Janat has featured in 67 matches, amassing 691 runs at an average of 17.71, including four half-centuries, and taking 42 wickets at an average of 27.14, with best bowling figures of 5/11. His first-class record is equally impressive, with 1,906 runs at an average of 52.94, including five centuries and ten fifties, alongside 73 wickets at an average of 34.32.
Janat has also showcased his skills in various domestic and franchise leagues, representing teams like the Colombo Stars in the Lanka Premier League and the Comilla Victorians in the Bangladesh Premier League. As of 2025, he is part of the Gujarat Titans squad in the Indian Premier League.
