They were the second-fastest team this season, and their bowling was on fire.
Josh Hazlewood is in top shape,
Bhuvneshwar Kumar remains a threat across phases, and Krunal Pandya has been effective against conventional matchups, even against left-handers. So the onus rests firmly on GT to lay down the marker.
GT’s top three of
Shubman Gill,
Sai Sudharsan and
Joseph Butler contributed 70% of their runs but the middle order still looks fragile. The management stuck with the same players for a while, although the last two games saw an overhaul, with Jason Holder finally brought in to bolster the middle order apart from the overs he delivers.
Adding to their worries is Rashid Khan’s dip in returns over the last few matches. He went for runs without his usual control and conceded 21 in the lone over he bowled
against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and 2 for 49 in four overs against RCB at the Chinnaswamy. Over his last five innings, he has leaked runs at an economy rate of 10 while picking up just three wickets, a rare downturn for someone who has been so consistently reliable over the years.
GT will be hoping that Rashid, along with the rest of their attack, rediscovers his wicket-taking ways against one of the most feared batting line-ups. With the close of business approaching, momentum is at stake. A win would keep GT within touching distance of the top four and help them break away from the bump in the bottom half, with CSK, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants all tied.
Gujarat Titans WLLWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WWLWW
GT did not play Ashok Sharma or Prasidh Krishna in their previous match. It’s likely that one of them will be back in the mix as the impact player.
Probably OT XII: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Washington Sundar, 5 Shahrukh Khan, 6 Rahul Tewatia, 7 Jason Holder, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Mohammed Siraj, 11 11 Manav Suth/Sharaok.
RCB sweat over Phil Salt’s fitness. If he’s ready, he’ll likely turn in Jacob Bethell again.
RCB probably XII: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt/Jacob Bethell, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 6 Tim David, 7 Romario Shepherd, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Josh Hazleyash, 10 Josh Hazleyash, 11 Dar Suh, 10 Suh/Venkatesh Iyer.
Pure as a wicketkeeper,
Jitesh Sharma you were probably among the best this season. RCB will hope that form carries over into his batting. With a high of 23 in six innings, he is yet to kick into top gear. It mirrors last season, when he got off to a slow start before exploding late, highlighted by an undefeated streak
85 from 33 against LSG to beat RCB in the top two, and a 24 from 10 in the final. This time he will be keen to spark that turnaround earlier.
Rahul Tewatia You’ve played seven of GT’s eight games, but his role remains enigmatic. He has faced just 42 balls, has been held back even at the death and has yet to bowl a single over. All this while GT’s middle order searches for identity and form. Time is running out, but to make an impact, he needs time in the middle. Will GT give it to him?
This is the same surface that hosted last year’s IPL final, where RCB defended 190. In the only IPL match played on this deck so far this season, KKR were bowled out for 180 – below the par score of 199 on this deck – with
GT chases it down comfortable with five wickets. Ahmedabad has been reeling under oppressive weather conditions with temperatures touching 43 degrees. This meant that the surface was a little more watered than usual. It should be largely an even red dirt surface with plenty of runs.
“We don’t talk to our players about being fearless. I think it’s a very normal human thing to feel fear or doubt. Rather, we talk to them to recognize those feelings and then deal with them well. And that’s how we work.”
RCB head coach Andy Flower
“I don’t want to give an excuse of lights or anything else. We know catching has to be better. There’s no question about that and we’ve talked about it.”
GT assistant coach Parthiv Patel is clear about what needs improvement
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