Heading towards the 34th game of the tournament between RCB and GT at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, this marks RCB’s final home game at the venue this season.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar has strong T20 numbers against Jos Buttler, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan, keeping them quiet and taking key wickets. Gujarat’s top three were all dismissed in the powerplay in the last game, exposing a rare weakness. RCB are unlikely to change their side. Jacob Bethell may have to wait, with Romario Shepherd still preferred for balance.
RCB Probable XI: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma
Impact subs: Rasikh Salam Dar, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer
Injuries/Unavailabilities: No new injuries to report apart from the continued unavailability of Nuwan Thushara
Watch Live Streaming: Fans can watch the RCB vs GT match live on the app and website of JioHotstar.
Toss Time: 7:00 PM
Pitch report: The pitch looks dry with some grass but is expected to play slower. Spinners could come into play. Boundaries are short, so runs are still likely, but timing may not be easy. A score around 200 remains competitive.
Head to head: RCB and GT are level 3-3. GT have won twice at Chinnaswamy. All six matches in this fixture were won chasing
Jason Holder could come into Gujarat Titans’ XI, offering control with back-of-a-length bowling on a surface that can assist seamers. His inclusion may push out Glenn Phillips, with changes possible in the middle order where Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan have struggled. Prasidh Krishna returns to familiar conditions, aiming to improve after an expensive outing.
GT Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ashok Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Mohammed Siraj
Impact subs: Anuj Rawat, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Jason Holder, Kulwant Khejroliya
Injuries/Unavailabilities: No new injuries to report
Batting contrast and pace battle set up even contest
Virat Kohli is one six away from 300 in the IPL, a mark only Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma have crossed. RCB’s middle order has scored quicker and hit more sixes, giving them an edge in that phase.
Gujarat Titans rely more on their top order, with Sai Sudharsan close to a 2000-run milestone. Their middle order has contributed less. With Kagiso Rabada leading the powerplay effort, the pace units on both sides could decide the game.