In the 14th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League, ebullient Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be hosting Gujarat Titans on Wednesday at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. Having kicked off their campaign with two straight victories, RCB are riding high on success. Amid the batting-friendly conditions, the upcoming showdown is expected to be a high-scoring battle. With RCB riding a wave of winning momentum, Gujarat Titans will need to brace up for a massive challenge. Meanwhile, after securing back-to-back victories to start their campaign, RCB will be eager to make it three in a row as they gear up to host GT in what promises to be an exciting clash.
This match becomes even more remarkable for RCB as they are coming off an emphatic victory against Chennai Super Kings in their last game. They outperformed CSK at their bastion, Chepauk, putting an end to a 17-year losing streak. Batting maestro Virat Kohli has been in red-hot form, having contributed heavily in the last two games. Not only Kohli, skipper Rajat Patidar has also been equally outstanding, playing match-winning innings in the last two games. Patidar, in the middle order, has made the most of strong starts.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans will head into this game with renewed vigour, having sealed a comfortable 36-run win over Mumbai Indians in their last game. They had a heartbreaking start, losing the opening game, but they bounced back to thump Mumbai Indians. Still, Titans will have plenty to think about as they prepare to face RCB. A major concern for GT has been their over-reliance on their top-order batsmen, with middle-order batters failing to make their impact. While players like Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler have been central to the team’s success.
Head to head
Matches: 5
RCB won: 3
GT: 2
Royal Challengers Bengaluru probable XII: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma/Rasikh Dar
Gujarat Titans probable XII: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma
