RCB’s woes continue as Rajat Patidar departs for 12, trapped LBW by Ishant Sharma. He attempted a wild swing across the line but missed, and the ball skidded through to hit him plumb in front.
With four wickets down in eight overs, RCB are in desperate need of a partnership. Jitesh Sharma, the new batter, has started positively, finding a boundary in Ishant’s over.
Earlier, Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar tried to steady the innings with a brief stand after RCB lost three quick wickets. Mohammed Siraj struck twice in the powerplay, first cleaning up Devdutt Padikkal and then getting Phil Salt immediately after he hit a massive six. Arshad Khan provided GT’s first breakthrough, dismissing Virat Kohli for 7 as he mistimed a pull shot to deep square-leg.
The collapse continued as Prasidh Krishna dismissed Liam Livingstone for just 2, leaving RCB in tatters. With a long way to go in the innings, they need a strong recovery to set a competitive total.
Gujarat Titans (GT) won the toss and opted to bowl first against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday.
“We feel the pitch will play better under lights, and the dew factor might come in later. We have a balanced lineup and are backing our bowlers to do the job early on,” said GT captain Shubman Gill.
RCB, riding high on confidence after two convincing victories over Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings, will be looking to extend their winning streak at home.
Led by Rajat Patidar, RCB has displayed formidable batting strength, with Phil Salt at the top, Patidar in the middle order, and power-hitters Liam Livingstone and Tim David in the lower order.
Meanwhile, GT will be aiming to bounce back and register their first win of the season. Their bowling attack, featuring the pace duo of Kagiso Rabada and Mohammed Siraj, along with the spin threat of Rashid Khan, will be crucial in restricting RCB’s explosive batting lineup.
With a packed Chinnaswamy Stadium cheering them on, RCB will be looking to put up a strong total on the board, while GT will hope their bowlers can keep them in check before their strong batting unit takes over the chase.
Current Score:
RCB 49/4 in 8 overs
Playing XI
RCB: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
GT: Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Sherfane Rutherford, Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada.
Impact Players:
RCB: Rasikh Salam, Devdutt Padikkal/Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Swastik Chhikara, Jacob Bethell.
GT: Sherfane Rutherford/Prasidh Krishna, Anuj Rawat, Ishant Sharma, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar.
