Saturday, May 4, 2024, 7:30 PM

Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

HEAD TO HEAD
TotaL        : 4
RCB Won :  2
GT Won    :  2

Snap to the present and Saturday's contest is one between teams placed eighth and tenth. While the qualification flame hasn't been doused for either team, progress from here is now a function of several variables, including form. In that regard, RCB are slightly better placed with two wins on the bounce and a clearer game plan involving front-loading their overseas batters/all-rounders. A third straight win and a double over the Titans will lift Faf du Plessis' side from the points-table floor, where they've spent the majority of this season

Gujarat, on the other hand, seek an upturn at the top. They are the slowest scoring team in the PowerPlays, but also don't lose many wickets which means they haven't effectively maximised the batting depth with Rashid Khan bating at No.8. The end of this fixture last year was viewed in some quarters as a seminal changing of the guard in Indian cricket when Shubman Gill responded to a Virat Kohli 100 with a ton of his own. A year on, there's no place for the Titans skipper in a World Cup squad with the old guard proving to be resilient.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Mohammmed Siraj has dismissed David Miller twice and conceded just 10 runs from the 14 balls bowled at the left-hander. They are likely to face off in the death overs, where the RCB man currently holds the edge over the destructive Titans finisher.

RCB are likely to continue using an all-Indian bowling attack and play both their overseas all-rounders. Vijaykumar Vyshak, who has bowled well on his home ground, could come in as the impact substitute and provide additional bowling cushion

Injuries/Availability: Glenn Maxwell returned from his break in the previous fixture and remains available for selection.

Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal [Impact Subs: Mahipal Lomror/Vijaykumar Vyshak]

Gujarat Titans

Spencer Johnson's left-arm angle can be a useful proposition against a right-heavy RCB top-order. He can also be used to counter the back-in-form Rajat Patidar, who is striking spin at 225 compared to a measly 127.12 against the faster bowlers. The quicks have also dismissed Patidar six times in seven innings, with left-armers accounting for two of those dismissals.

Wriddhiman Saha had a long net session on the eve of the match but one possible tweak for GT could involve swapping out the veteran 'keeper for Matthew Wade. If GT consider such a move, they could bench the overseas all-rounder Omarzai for Vijay Shankar, who had a great game here in 2023. Given GT are adequately stocked in the spin department, they could also look to swap their third spinner, Noor Ahmad, for Johnson in keeping with teams' preferring for pace (31 wickets at 10.47 ER) over spin (11 wickets at 9.25 ER) at this venue

Injuries/Availability: No

Probable XI: Shubman Gill (c), Wriddhiman Saha/Matthew Wade (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Azmatullah Omarzai/Vijay Shankar, Shahrukh Khan, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Sandeep Warrier, Noor Ahmad/Spencer Johnson, Mohit Sharma [Impact Sub: Darshan Nalkande]