RCB eye hat-trick of wins in homecoming match against Gujarat Titans

It has been a solid start to the latest iteration of the Indian Premier League for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With two wins out of two games, they will be hopeful of making it a hat-trick when they lock horns against the Gujarat Titans in their first home game of the season.

RCB roared off to a solid overture, laying waste to KKR in the opener at Eden Gardens before breaching Chepauk to hammer CSK emphatically. It has been an all-round showdown so far from the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, especially with their captain hammering home in both the matches. It has also been an extraordinary bowling show as RCB has managed to find their way back after suffering a meltdown in the first half of the game against KKR.

Gujarat Titans, on the contrary, started their campaign with a defeat at the hands of the Punjab Kings. However, they put in a phenomenal fight as Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler rocked 232 in response to PBKS’ 243. Sai Kishore was impressive with the ball in his hands as he claimed a three-fer for the Titans. However, they were quick to get themselves off the canvas, chronicling a 36-runs victory against the Mumbai Indians in their second game. Sai Sudharsan was impressive once again with the bat while Prasidh Krisha and Mohammed Siraj rounded off the win with a brace each.

Considering the firepower that both the teams come in with, one might expect this to be a battle of cosmic proportions. It goes without saying that RCB will be diving headlong to get the third win and start their journey home on a positive note while for the Titans this is going to be a challenge that will need them to reach their reserve sources of firepower in order to eclipse the former.

Venue Watch

Shorter boundaries and a flat track with little movement whatsoever Chinnaswamy a dream surface for a batter to bat on. A whopping 96 matches have been played so far at the venue out of which 41 have been won batting first while sides chasing have won 49 fixtures. The numbers are on a higher side in terms of average score in IPL as it reads 171 in the first innings while batting second, it slumps down to 155. However, if one looks at the average first innings score in the last five years, it has shot beyond 190 which is a clear giveaway of the fact that it is a joyride for the batters.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs R Sai Kishore:

Kohli has already hinted at the fact that he will be playing the situation in IPL 2025 instead of a preconceived batting template. The way he started against KKR was different from the way he batted against CSK. The first game saw him coming unhinged alongside Phil Salt while the second match saw him being composed up front so that Salt could take the route of belligerence. R Sai Kishore has already been off to a rollicking start to the tournament with four wickets in his repertoire. The fact that he is a slow left-arm orthodox bowler even adds to the spice when the two come face to face.

Rajat Patidar vs Mohammed Siraj

The two have played together and are incredible friends off the pitch. However, when the two collide, it is going to be a fascinating duel of the willow and the leather. Patidar has definitely shown the knack of mastering spin in stunning fashion. However, with Siraj in the mix and if he is bowling with the new ball, the dynamics tend to shift. Siraj’s lateral movement with the new ball can prove to be a challenge that Patidar will need to show restraint and resilience against.

Josh Hazlewood vs Jos Buttler

Hoff has already managed to claim five wickets in the tournament and will be hopeful of adding more to his tally when he comes up against the Gujarat Titans. However, he will have to brave Jos Buttler in the opposition who is a stunning striker of the ball, especially in the powerplay, hoping to maximise his strength as a hard-hitter. Hoff’s clinical discipline has been key in shaping up his phenomenal numbers so far and he will once again be banked upon that to get the job done.

Match detail:

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans

Venue: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 2nd April, 2025

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 5

GT: 2

RCB: 3

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.

Gujarat Titans:

Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips, Kumar Kushagra, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Nishant Sindhu, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Gerald Coetzee, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan, Karim Janat, Sherfane Rutherford, Mahipal Lomror, Washington Sundar, Manav Suthar, Gurnoor Brar, Ishant Sharma, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna, Kulwant Khejroliya, Mohammed Siraj