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Peter Green - April 2, 2025
Royal Challengers Bangalore started this season on a high note with two back-to-back wins against Chennai and Kolkata. Their win against Chennai was significant, marking only their second victory at Chepauk in 10 attempts.
Now, they return to their home ground, Chinnaswamy Stadium, to face Gujarat Titans. The Titans have had a mixed start, winning one of their two matches. Their only win came against Mumbai Indians, who have had one of the weakest starts this season.
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans have faced each other five times in the Indian Premier League, with RCB leading the head-to-head record 3-2. In their most recent encounter on May 5, 2024, RCB secured a commanding four-wicket victory, successfully chasing a target of 148 runs in just 13.2 overs.
At the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the teams have met twice. In their first meeting on May 21, 2023, GT triumphed by six wickets, chasing down RCB’s total of 197/5. However, RCB avenged this loss in their subsequent home game, showcasing their dominance at their home ground.
Captain- Rajat Patidar
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
Impact Player options: Devdutt Padikkal, Swapnil Singh, Swastik Chhikara, Jacob Bethell, Rasikh Salam.
Captain- Shubman Gill
Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler, Shah Rukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, R. Sai Kishore, Arshad Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna
Impact Player options: Sherfane Rutherford, Anuj Rawat, Ishant Sharma, Glenn Phillips, Washington Sundar
Virat Kohli (RCB): In the first two matches, Kohli focused on staying at the crease and keeping his wicket safe. Though he didn’t score big, his 31 runs helped maintain the run flow in the first 10 overs. He also has an impressive record against GT, scoring 344 runs in five games with an outstanding average of around 115.
Yash Dayal (RCB): This medium-fast bowler has been impressive for RCB in the first two matches, taking three wickets. He has maintained a good economy rate and has made things difficult for the opposition’s batting lineup.
Sai Sudharsan (GT): He has been playing like Virat Kohli this season, staying at the crease for long and scoring well. Even after getting out, he managed to cross 60 runs in both opening matches. With a strong batting lineup featuring Buttler, Gill, and Shahrukh Khan, Sai is expected to rotate the strike and keep the run rate steady.
The RCB side is on the back off two strong victories. Apart from that they have a two-match winning streak against Gujarat Titans in the head-to-head too. With the match being scheduled at their famed Chinnaswamy Stadium, we expect a pleasant day for the local supporters.
Bangalore holds the edge based on all the stats mentioned above. Whether it’s head-to-head records or recent performances, Bangalore is ahead. With multiple players contributing consistently, RCB’s squad depth strengthens their betting appeal.
Chinnaswamy Stadium is a small ground, which makes it favorable for in-form batsmen. With players like Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, and Rajat Patidar in the top three, RCB is likely to hit more than 15.5 fours. In their last match against Gujarat Titans at this venue, they smashed 18 fours.
His strong batting performances in the first two games make this a solid pick. He has the ability to score runs even without much support at the other end and can rotate the strike when needed. His skill in finding gaps should help him score more than 26.5 runs in this match.
