Playing IPL 2023's last league game, Royal Challengers Bangalore would know what exactly is required of them to qualify for the playoffs, when they face table-toppers Gujarat Titans at M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday. However, rain gods could make things worse or wonderful for the hosts given precipitation is expected in Bengaluru.
With batting maestro Virat Kohli back at his absolute best and skipper Faf du Plessis leading from the front with 600-plus runs this season, RCB will hope their dazzling opening duo fires in this must-win game for them.
Currently placed at fourth position, Bangalore also have a better net run rate of 0.180 than Mumbai's -0.128, who take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday's first game, and Rajasthan Royals.
Besides playing in front of their beloved home crowd that will back them vociferously come Sunday, the other advantage for du Plessis' side is that they feature in the last game of the league round on Sunday evening, by which time RCB would know the outcome of the duel between MI and SRH in Mumbai.
Also read: Virat Kohli: Ricky Ponting reveals conversation with India's star batter ahead of WTC Final
Bengaluru weather forecast
However, Bengaluru weather could play a major spoilsport. According to accuweather.com, there is over a 30 per cent chance of rainfall at the start of the match and thunderstorms are expected around 10 PM and 11 PM.
RCB vs GT head to head
In a head-to-head comparison, it is even-stevens as RCB and GT have won a game each.
RCB team news
RCB are unlikely to make any changes in their winning combination.
GT team news
Gujarat could rest some key players to keep them fresh for Qualifier 1 on May 23.
RCB vs GT Playing XI probable
RCB Possible Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat (wk), Shahbaz Ahmed, Michael Bracewell, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj.
GT Possible Playing XI: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Dasun Shanaka, Rahul Tewatia, Mohit Sharma, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Shami, Noor Ahmad.
WHERE TO WATCH
How to watch on TV
People who want to watch the Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Gujarat Titans match on TV can tune into Star Sports 1, Star Sports 1 HD, Star Sports 3, Star Sports 3 HD
How to watch live streaming
People can watch the RCB vs GT match free of cost on the Jio Cinema App. You can download the app on your smartphone, smart TV, or any other device.
SQUADS
Royal Challengers Bangalore's squad for IPL 2023: Faf du Plessis (c), Akash Deep, Finn Allen, Anuj Rawat, Avinash Singh, Manoj Bhandage, Michael Bracewell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Siddarth Kaul, Virat Kohli, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Mohammed Siraj, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajan Kumar, Shahbaz Ahmed, Karn Sharma, Himanshu Sharma, Sonu Yadav, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Kedar Jadhav.
Gujarat Titans' squad for IPL 2023: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R. Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Dasun Shanaka, Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Joshua Little and Mohit Sharma.