Gujarat Titans face RCB again Thursday at Ahmedabad, hungry for revenge after their 206-run total proved no match for the challengers’ ruthless five-wicket chase last week.
RCB have climbed to second on the table after back-to-back wins. Their scoring rate of 11 runs per over across phases is among the best this season, only behind Punjab Kings. With the ball, Bhuvneshwar Kumar has been effective at the death, picking up six wickets, the second-highest tally in that phase, while maintaining an economy of just 7.6.
GT Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Jason Holder, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Manav Suthar, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj
Impact subs:Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Nishant Sindhu, Arshad Khan, Glenn Phillips
Injuries/Unavailabilities: No injury reported.
Watch Live Streaming: Fans can watch the GT vs RCB match live on the app and website of JioHotstar.
Toss Time: 7:00 PM
Pitch report: The surface is expected to be batting-friendly, but not a flat track. It should offer enough for bowlers to stay in the game, making a score around 190–200 competitive rather than easily chased.
Head to head: RCB hold a narrow 4–3 edge over GT in head-to-head meetings and also won their only clash in Ahmedabad. Notably, all seven previous matches between the two have been won by the team batting second, underlining a clear chasing trend in this fixture.
Gujarat Titans have the lowest death-overs run rate this season at 9.1, highlighting their struggles late in the innings. Kagiso Rabada and Prasidh Krishna have had success against Virat Kohli, while Rashid Khan holds a favourable match-up against Devdutt Padikkal. Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood will test GT’s top order early, where Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan need a more assured start.
Impact subs: Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal
Injuries/Unavailabilities: Phil Salt’s availability remains uncertain after missing the last two matches with injury. If he is not fit in time, Jacob Bethell is likely to retain his place in the XI.
Balance vs Reliance
Royal Challengers Bengaluru return to Ahmedabad with confidence and a strong record on Pitch No. 6, where they won the title last year. Their batting looks deeper and more consistent, reflected in their scoring rate and position near the top. With seamers striking early and a balanced attack, RCB appear the more settled side and will back their approach after a comfortable chase in the last meeting.
Gujarat Titans, though, have also chased well at this venue and remain competitive despite mixed results this season. Their top order continues to carry the scoring load, while the bowling unit, led by Kagiso Rabada, has been effective early. However, they need better control through the middle overs and sharper execution across phases to challenge a more complete RCB side.