As The Gujarat Titans (GT) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 23 of the IPL 2025 season, fans are gearing up for a thrilling contest. Both teams boast strong line-ups filled with match-winners, but what often decides the outcome of such high-stakes games are the individual battles within the bigger game. Here are four key player battles to keep an eye on during this exciting clash. Top 4 Key Player Battles to Watch in GT vs RR Sno Players 1 Shubman Gill vs Jofra Archer 2 Jos Buttler vs Sandeep Sharma 3 Mohammed Siraj vs Sanju Samson 4 Rashid Khan vs Shimron Hetmyer Shubman Gill vs Jofra Archer Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2018 4 2 1 1 1 0 200.0 4.0 2019 2 3 0 1 0 0 66.7 - 2020 3 8 1 5 0 0 37.5 3.0 Total 9 13 2 7 1 0 69.2 4.5 This battle pits GT’s skipper and star opener, Shubman Gill, against the pace and aggression of RR’s Jofra Archer. Their past encounters clearly show that Archer has had the upper hand. In all their face-offs so far, Gill has only managed 9 runs off 13 balls and has been dismissed twice. Archer has kept Gill in check with tight bowling, forcing 7 dot balls in the process. Shubman’s strike rate against Archer is just 69.2, and his average is a low 4.5. These numbers show that Gill has struggled to dominate Archer in their past meetings. However, Gill has improved tremendously over the years, and if he manages to overcome Archer’s fiery spell this time, it could set a strong tone for GT. Also Read | Priyansh Arya: the man with extended shoulders for PBKS, got his maiden IPL century Jos Buttler vs Sandeep Sharma Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2016 7 5 0 2 1 0 140.0 - 2017 32 11 0 2 1 4 290.9 - 2020 3 4 0 1 0 0 75.0 - 2021 40 15 1 3 2 4 266.7 40.0 2022 5 5 0 3 1 0 100.0 - Total 87 40 1 11 5 8 217.5 87.0 This is a classic clash between power and precision. GT’s Jos Buttler is known for his explosive batting, while Sandeep Sharma relies on swing and smart variations. Interestingly, Buttler has dominated this battle overall. Across multiple seasons, Buttler has scored 87 runs in just 40 balls against Sandeep, getting out only once. That gives him an outstanding average of 87 and a strike rate of 217.5. What’s more impressive is that Buttler has hit 5 fours and 8 sixes in this matchup, showing he has no trouble putting Sandeep under pressure. Sandeep will need to rethink his strategy this time if he wants to stop Buttler from going big early in the innings. Mohammed Siraj vs Sanju Samson Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2017 19 11 2 3 0 2 172.7 9.5 2021 1 4 0 3 0 0 25.0 - 2022 1 5 0 4 0 0 20.0 - 2023 4 4 0 3 1 0 100.0 - 2024 11 7 1 1 0 1 157.1 11.0 Total 36 31 3 14 1 3 116.1 12.0 This contest between RR skipper Sanju Samson and GT fast bowler Mohammed Siraj has been quite even but leans slightly in Siraj’s favor. In total, Samson has faced 31 balls from Siraj, scoring 36 runs. However, Siraj has dismissed him three times, which means he has managed to find breakthroughs regularly. Samson has hit only one four and three sixes in their meetings, and his strike rate stands at 116.1. With an average of just 12 in this contest, Samson hasn’t quite been able to dominate Siraj the way he does with other bowlers. This makes it an important middle-over battle that could affect RR’s momentum. Read also: Digvesh Rathi ditches the notebook, signs on the turf after getting his idol out Rashid Khan vs Shimron Hetmyer Year Runs Balls Outs Dots 4s 6s SR Avg 2019 32 15 1 6 1 4 213.3 32.0 2020 4 5 1 1 0 0 80.0 4.0 2022 7 12 0 8 0 0 58.3 - 2023 15 12 1 6 1 1 125.0 15.0 Total 58 44 3 21 2 5 131.8 19.3 When Hetmyer faces Rashid Khan, the match always gets interesting. Rashid, known for his tight leg-spin and googlies, has managed to keep Hetmyer relatively quiet over the years. In their overall contests, Hetmyer has scored 58 runs off 44 balls, but he’s been dismissed three times. That gives him an average of 19.3 and a strike rate of 131.8. Rashid has also bowled 21 dot balls to Hetmyer, which is almost half the deliveries. Although Hetmyer has hit five sixes, he has rarely looked completely comfortable against Rashid. The key here will be how aggressive Hetmyer decides to be. If he takes the risk and it doesn’t pay off, Rashid could tilt the game in GT’s favour with a key wicket.