RCB host GT in return-leg fixture with eyes on further tempo

With the wheels finally in motion and an imperious showdown from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru that left the Gujarat Titans with a bitter taste in their mouth, RCB will be returning to action this Saturday evening against the same foe, this time in their own den.

The Royal Challengers will be brimming with confidence after a merciless beatdown of the Titans that saw Will Jacks finally giving a glimpse of the walking carnage that he is. He also had help from Virat Kohli, who is in dream touch and continues to haunt the bowlers more with every passing innings.

The Titans will be hopeful of returning to winning ways after a modest run in the recent past. For both the sides though, bowling has been a major concern and as things stand with the shorter boundaries and a pretty decent surface to bat on at Chinnaswamy, this may just be another run-fest.

Venue Watch:

The surface at Chinnaswamy is a featherbed and runs will flow without much fuss. The team batting first may find the balls sticking onto the surface but then in the second half with the dew coming in, it may just be easy enough to get the runs on the board.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Rashid Khan:

Virat had another fine innings in the last contest against the Gujarat Titans where he stayed unbeaten for 70 while playing the perfect two to tango to Will Jacks’ insane showdown. He will be leading the charge for RCB once again as the Titans set foot in the latter’s den. Rashid Khan was off to a fine start in the last game but then fell flat against the growing salvo of Kohli and Jacks. He still remains one of the finest leggies in the league and this contest will be producing a few sparks.

Will Jacks vs Mohit Sharma

A 41-ball-century is a blazing testimony to his merciless hitting prowess and he will be hoping to add more pyro to his already blazing show. Even in the last game, Mohit Sharma was at the receiving end of Jacks’ terrific striking. The Indian fast bowler will be hopeful of making amends and put up a decent show to make this a contest to savour.

Swapnil Singh vs B Sai Sudharsan

Ever since his inclusion in the return leg fixture against the Sunrisers Hyderabad, Swapnil Singh has proven to be instrumental. Both with the bat and the ball, Singh has been an industrious force in the middle-overs while also exhibiting a knack for wickets. B Sai Sudharsan continues to be the best batter for GT in this season with a tally of 418 runs at a strike rate of 135.71. This clash between Swapnil and Sai Sudharsan can be a lively contest of the willow and the leather.

Match detail:

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 04th May, 2024

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 4

RCB: 2

GT: 2

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik, Suyash Prabhudessai, Will Jacks, Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Mayank Dagar, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Akash Deep, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Himanshu Sharma, Rajan Kumar, Cameron Green, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Tom Curran, Lockie Ferguson, Swapnil Singh, Saurav Chauhan.

Gujarat Titans:

David Miller, Shubman Gill (c), Matthew Wade, Wriddhiman Saha, Kane Williamson, Abhinav Manohar, B. Sai Sudharsan, Darshan Nalkande, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Rahul Tewatia, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad, Sai Kishore, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little, Mohit Sharma, Azmatullah Omarzai, Umesh Yadav, Shahrukh Khan, Sushant Mishra, Kartik Tyagi, Manav Suthar, Spencer Johnson