🏏IPL 2023: Match 70 - GT vs RCB on 21/05/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

🏏IPL 2023: Match 70 - GT vs RCB at M.Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru on 21/05/2023 at 7:30 PM IST 🏏

Tag & Logo Credit: Sevenstreaks

Make or break for RCB against Gujarat Titans

By the time the game begins on Sunday evening, RCB will know exactly what they need to make the playoffs

It all boils down to the final four hours. After 69 games across 52 days, the last league match will decide the identity of the players fourth team in the playoffs.

The spotlight is on Royal Challengers Bangalore as they return home to the Chinnaswamy to host the Gujarat Titans after nearly a month on the road. They will know exactly what they need to qualify in the top four if net run rate becomes a factor, but the simplest route is to win. If they make it, it will be their fourth successive playoff appearance.

So what's going well for RCB? They are coming into this crucial fixture off two successive wins - against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Rajasthan Royals. Their strength is their batting, having scored more than 180 in three of their last four games. More specifically, it is their top-order batting, with Faf du Plessis (702), Virat Kohli (538) and Glenn Maxwell (389) doing the bulk of the run-scoring. The dependency on their Big Three could be a crucial factor in a crunch game.

Winning at the Chinnaswamy also hasn't been straightforward for RCB this season. While several teams have struggled to maximise their home advantage, it's 3-3 for RCB in Bengaluru this year, and 40 wins in 83 games overall.

So while RCB have everything to do to qualify for the playoffs, the Titans are already through. Hardik Pandya's team is only the second side to finish top of the table in two successive seasons, after the Mumbai Indians in 2019 and 2020.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans Pitch Report

A high-scoring encounter awaits both teams as the pitch at M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is considered a nightmare for the bowlers. The batters will enjoy playing shots at this venue, while the bowlers are expected to have a tough time in the field. The average first-innings score at the venue is 190-210.

Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans Weather Forecast

There are high chances of rain in Bengaluru on Sunday with the temperatures expected to range between 23 and 32 degree Celsius.

Pitch and conditions

Bengaluru has been hot and humid this week but i rained on match eve and a couple of spells of rain is likely on Sunday as well. The average first-innings total at the Chinnaswamy Stadium is 194, so expect a run-fest.

Team news: Will Titans rest players (Million Dollar question)?

Fast bowler Josh Little had missed a few matches to play an ODI series for Ireland against Bangladesh, but he re-joined the Titans squad on May 16. Vijay Shankar had also missed the previous game after getting hit in the nets. With Titans already through to the playoffs, the big question is whether they will rest any of their players, considering they play Qualifier 1 on May 23.

Du Plessis said at the toss of their previous game against Sunrisers that one of Hasaranga and Hazlewood was missing due to a niggle without specifying who it was.

Impact Player strategy

Anuj Rawat kept wickets for RCB instead of Dinesh Karthik in the last two matches and he is expected to do it again against Titans. Karthik or Mahipal Lomror could sub in and out for for left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed depending on whether they bat or bowl first.

Royal Challengers Bangalore (probable XII): 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Faf du Plessis, 3 Glenn Maxwell, 4 Mahipal Lomror, 5 Dinesh Karthik, 6 Michael Bracewell, 7 Anuj Rawat (wk), 8 Wayne Parnell, 9 Karn Sharma, 10 Harshal Patel, 11 Mohammed Siraj, 12 Shahbaz Ahmed

Titans had swapped Shubman Gill with fast bowler Yash Dayal in their previous game against SRH. If Little returns, Gill and Mohit Sharma could be their Impact Players depending on whether they bat or bowl first.

Gujarat Titans (probable XII): 1 Shubman Gill, 2 Wriddhiman Saha (wk), 3 Sai Sudharsan, 4 Hardik Pandya (capt), 5 David Miller, 6 Abhinav Manohar/Vijay Shankar, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Josh Little, 10 Noor Ahmad, 11 Mohammed Shami, 12 Mohit Sharma

Stats that matter

• Kohli is a beast in Bengaluru with 3106 T20s runs at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, the most by any batter, at a strike rate of 140.82.
• Rashid Khan has dismissed du Plessis three times in eight T20s, and conceded only 32 runs in 45 balls.
• Gill has scored at 148.14 against Mohammed Siraj in the IPL, with no dismissals in six innings.

BATTERS TO WATCH(recent stats)

Faf du Plessis,  RCB

10 M • 527 Runs • 52.70 Avg • 148.45 SR

Virat Kohli,  RCB

10 M • 374 Runs • 37.40 Avg • 131.22 SR

Shubman Gill,  GT

10 M • 460 Runs • 51.11 Avg • 146.49 SR

Hardik Pandya,  GT

10 M • 276 Runs • 34.50 Avg • 133.98 SR

BOWLERS TO WATCH(recent stats)

Mohammed Siraj,  RCB

10 M • 12 Wkts • 7.52 Econ • 17 SR

Wanindu Hasaranga,  RCB

8 M • 9 Wkts • 8.89 Econ • 19.33 SR

Mohammed Shami,  GT

10 M • 17 Wkts • 7.35 Econ • 13.76 SR

Mohit Sharma,  GT

10 M • 17 Wkts • 7.45 Econ • 10.88 SR

What to expect: There is a forecast for scattered showers in Bengaluru on Sunday evening and that could add to the qualification drama set to unfold on the final day of the league phase. Subsurface aeration at the ground should allow for quick resumptions if play does get suspended at some point so a total washout is unlikely. As it is, teams prefer to chase at the Chinnaswamy Stadium and the forecast will only nudge the toss-winning captain further in that direction. Curiously, however, teams batting first have won four of the six games played at the venue so far.

Team Watch:

Royal Challengers Bangalore

Injury/Availability: Josh Hazlewood will not feature tomorrow after suffering a recurrence of his heel injury

Dinesh Karthik has been battling a bad back and hence used as an impact substitute. He partook in a brief 'keeping drill' on the eve of the game.

Harshal Patel has battled through a fractured finger through the season that has limited his ability as a batter. Mike Hesson revealed that his injury was at an advanced stage of recovery.

Wanindu Hasaranga, after missing a couple of games with injury, is now available for selection again but might find it difficult to pip Michael Bracewell in the XI.

Tactics & Matchups: Harshal Patel has a good record against Hardik Pandya and has dismissed him twice despite having bowled only 11 deliveries at the GT captain. He matches up poorly against David Miller with GT's finisher striking at 151.28 without ever being dismissed by Harshal.

Probable XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Anuj Rawat (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Michael Bracewell, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj (Impact Sub: Dinesh Karthik)

Gujarat Titans

Injury/Availability: Noor Ahmad sustained an injury to his ankle in the game against SRH but bowled in the nets on the eve of the game without much discomfort.

Vijay Shankar, who missed last game with an injury picked up in practice, has also pulled up well after the five-day break.

Joshua Little has returned to India after his commitments with Ireland and could be welcomed back into the XI.

Tactics & Matchups: The PowerPlay battle between Mohammed Shami and RCB's prolific opening pair of Du Plessis and Kohli will be much anticipated. Shami has dismissed Kohli five times in the IPL but has conceded at a fairly brisk clip of 132.25 over 90 balls. He has also dismissed Du Plessis twice but the RCB captain has got his runs off Shami at a strike-rate of 163.64.

Probable XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan/Vijay Shankar, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Joshua Little/Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma (Impact Sub: Yash Dayal)

Head to Head: RCB 1-1 GT. Faf du Plessis's side won a similar late-season encounter last year after chasing down GT's 168 rather comfortably.

Did you know?

- Virat Kohli averages 56.26 and has struck at 137.86 in T20 cricket since his return after a break in last year's Asia Cup.

- This game will feature the two of the best PowerPlay bowlers of IPL 2023. Shami has 15 wickets at 6.80 ER while Siraj has taken his 9 wickets at even more frugal economy of 6.07 in the first-six overs.

- Du Plessis and Maxwell have shared 567 partnership runs at an average of 70.88 this season. This includes four century stands, one more than even Kohli-du Plessis.