*RCB VS GT PREVIEW- MATCH 70*
*THE BUILD UP:*
*ITS NOW OR NEVER FOR THE. CHALLENGERS:*
As RCB head out to play their final encounter of the league game, returning back to their home ground where they shared a mixed record this season, the focus will solely be on the mindset with which the Challengers come out to play this game. It’s a must win situation for them and a big loss in particular could make things ugly for the trophy less side. Their Big 3 will once again share the focus, as the opening pair of Faf and Virat are all set to take the limelight once again after their super show at SRH’s home ground the other night. One thing that could hurt RCB and it’s chances is their bowling unable to bring the best out of them at the shorter boundaries of Chinnaswamy that favours the batters most often than not.
GT, on the other hand, have nothing to be worried about. It would be interesting to see how many players in their department get rested given their first qualifier is on 23rd May. If some of their big guns which have had a massive impact on the game, such as Gill,Rashid and Shami get rested, it’s advantage RCB otherwise we as fans, are in for what’s expected to be another run fest thriller.
*RCB PROBABLE XI:*
Faf Duplisses(c), Virat Kohli, Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat(wk), Michael Bracewell, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, Karn Sharma, Mohammad Siraj
Virat Kohli has found his groove once again and his stunning century the other night will boost his confidence heading into another home fixture on a ground where he has scored over 3000 T20 runs at a strike rate of 140. He will be up against one of the best power play bowlers this season, in shami. The latter has gotten the better of the king on 5 occasions and the stroke-makers’ strike rate hasn’t been the best either. We could be in for a feisty battle as the two powerhouses of Indian cricket are set to clash
Mohammad Siraj has turned gold and the standards have notched up ever since he has started bowling in the power play for RCB. Having dismissed 9 batters already in the first six, Siraj would be interested in getting the better of his Indian teammate Shubman Gill, who has the wood over him. Sending Gill back to the hut will be on Miyan’s target and could very well break the backbone of GT.
GT has a formidable batting group while RCB bowlers have produced mixed returns at home. The Faf led unit would hope for a return specially from their spinners, Karn Sharma and Shahbaz and if there’s a possible return for Hasaranga in the wings.
*IMPACT PLAYER STRATEGY:*
Kedar Jadhav or Dinesh Karthik is expected to come in as the impact sub to add depth to their batting. Now, a similar role could be played by Mohammad Siraj if they are defending a score.
*GT PROBABLE XI:*
Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Sai Sudarshan, Hardik Pandya (c), David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami, Mohit Sharma
Rashid Khan has dismissed du Plessis three times in eight T20s, and conceded only 32 runs in 45 balls. The leg spinner has been instrumental in the success of GT and can break Faf as he offers great stability to this batting group of RCB. In a way, RCB are heavily reliant on their opening duo and dismissing any one of them can break open the game for Gujarat.
Alzarri Joseph, the tall pacer from Caribbean, could be used in the powerplay by Hardik. The seam on offer could be nicely extracted by the right arm pacer as the Chinnaswamy surface offers a little more to the pacers early on. With Faf playing the short of length better, the Protea vs Alzarri is one we can keep a tab on.
*IMPACT PLAYER STRATEGY:*
Abhinav Manohar could feature as the impact sub if GT bat second. Similarly, Mohit Sharma could play the role if GT defend.
*MY PREDICTIONS FOR THE GAME:*
*FOR RCB:*
Highest run getter- Faf Duplisses/Glenn Maxwell
Highest wicket taker- Mohammad Siraj/Michael Bracewell
*FOR GT:*
Highest run getter- Hardik Pandya/Shubman Gill
Highest wicket taker- Rashid Khan/Mohammad Shami
*FOR THE GAME:*
RCB to win