Royal Challengers Bangalore took giant strides toward securing their spot in the IPL 2023 playoff after dismantling a hapless Sunirsers Hyderabad on the back of a trailblazing century from former skipper Virat Kohli. The Indian batting superstar laid the foundation for a routine chase after stitching a record-setting opening stand with an in-from Faf du Plessis.
Even though the Bangalore-based franchise have their fate in their own hands, they will have to bring their best game against defending champions Gujarat Titans in their upcoming match. It is a must-win encounter for the Men in Red and Gold, playing their last league fixture in front of their home crowd at the Chinnaswamy.
Here’s Royal Challengers Bangalore’s predicted XI against Gujarat Titans:
Openers: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli
Royal Challengers Bangalore skipper Faf du Plessis is a man on a mission this year after he registered his seventh half-century of the season against Sunrisers Hyderabad. He is the outright leading run-scorer this season, and given his incredible scoring form in the ongoing edition, it looks like he will end up breaking several records by the time the season concludes.
Another RCB batter who is breaking records at the moment is former Indian skipper Virat Kohli. The batting maestro took the Sunrisers bowlers to the cleaners in his last outing, smashing a glittering century, his first of this season and sixth overall. While his century laid the foundation for a comfortable victory for the Men in Red and Gold, Kohli’s sixth century means he is now tied with former RCB teammate Chris Gayle with the most centuries in the competition’s history.
Middle Order: Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Anuj Rawat
Explosive all-rounder, Glenn Maxwell did not have much to do in the game apart from his contributions in the field as RCB’s star opening duo of Faf du Plessis and Virat Kohli did the bulk of the scoring in the chase. He wasn’t used with the ball either, as the visitors completed a resounding victory to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Mahipal Lomror was another batter who did get an opportunity to bat in the game against Sunrisers Hyderabad. Veteran Indian wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik and young Indian batter Anuj Rawat were also unused during RCB’s steep chase in Hyderabad.
All-rounder: Michael Bracewell
It was the star Kiwi all-rounder, who opened the floodgates in the first innings, dismissing both Rahul Tripathi and Abhishek Sharma in his first over in the powerplay. He conceded just 13 runs in his two overs, returning with two important wickets. He came into bat at the fag end of the innings, doing the necessary to take his side over the line in a must-win encounter.
Bowlers: Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
Star Sri Lankan spinner Wanindu Hasaranga missed RCB’s clash against the Orange Army due to a slight niggle, according to skipper Faf du Plessis. Hasaranga is expected to make his way back into the eleven at the expense of veteran Indian leggie Karn Sharma, who was taken to the cleaners in the last game.
While Harshal Patel was quite expensive in the initial stages of the match, it was his spell in the death overs, which helped the Bangalore-based outfit wrestle back some momentum. He showed great sportsmanship after dismissing Heinrich Klaasen, applauding the South African batter for his explosive century.
Even though star Indian pacer Mohammed Siraj did not pick a wicket in the powerplay, he never let the batters get away during the field restrictions. He returned with the crucial wicket of Glenn Phillips in his second spell, conceding just 17 runs in his four overs, while all the other bowlers went for plenty on a batting-friendly surface.
Australian star pacer Josh Hazlewood is also expected to make a return to the playing eleven after missing his last two matches with the franchise. The towering pacer’s form with the ball has declined as the tournament progressed, and the team will be hoping he could rediscover his form against Gujarat Titans’ star-studded batting line-up.
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Probable Playing XI:
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis(c), Anuj Rawat, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik(w), Michael Bracewell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood
Royal Challengers Bangalore’s (RCB) Probable Impact Players:
Vijaykumar Vyshak, Finn Allen, Shahbaz Ahmed, Himanshu Sharma, Suyash Prabhudessai