Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans. Pic Credits: X

IPL 2024 : Swashbuckling Virat Kohli And RCB Brace For Trial By Spin Against An Inconsistent & Spirited GT

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Gujarat Titans (GT) continue their ongoing IPL 2024 campaign by taking on Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.  Gujarat Titans (GT)  will be coming into the game after a narrow defeat in their previous clash. GT season so far has been a mixed bag.

GT (Gujarat Titans) In the last game, against Delhi Capitals, their tactics were questionable: Sandeep Warrier, their best bowler of the day, ended up bowling just three overs, while left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, coming off 4 for 33 against Punjab Kings, was introduced as late as the 19th over where he was taken for 22 runs.

GT vs RCB Previous Match Performances

Led by Shubman Gill, GT  suffered a loss against Delhi Capitals in Delhi, losing their fifth game of the season. Taking on the team that is languishing at the bottom of the table, the Titans will aim to register their fifth win of the season.

On the other hand, the Bengaluru-based franchise is currently having a season to forget in the IPL 2024. With two wins in nine matches, RCB is coming off a strong victory over the Sunrisers Hyderabad in their last clash. Taking on  Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad could prove to be a daunting challenge for the 2016 finalists.

GT vs RCB Head to Head

Matches Played 03
Won by Gujarat Titans 02
Won by Royal Challengers Bengaluru 01
No Result 00

GT vs RCB Pitch conditions

The pitch at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad offers a balanced surface, assisting both the fast bowlers and the spinners. This even nature of the surface could lead to an evenly-matched contest between the two teams. The conditions tend to be more favorable for batting in the second innings, with the ball coming onto the bat nicely. The team that wins the toss will be looking to field first.

Players will be bracing for a hot afternoon with a peak of 40C. In the last outing at the venue, GT suffered a massive defeat, folding for 89, which Delhi Capitals then chased down within nine overs. In the previous afternoon game in Ahmedabad, GT bowlers combined to restrict SRH to 162 for 8, which the hosts then chased down with five balls remaining.

In a tournament where the scores are skyrocketing, we saw Titans get shot out for just 89 in front of their home crowd in the last game here. They would certainly not want a similar surface this time.

GT vs RCB The Big Picture

Gujarat Titans’ season so far has been a mixed bag. In the last game, against Delhi Capitals, their tactics were questionable: Sandeep Warrier, their best bowler of the day, ended up bowling just three overs, while left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, coming off 4 for 33 against Punjab Kings, was introduced as late as the 19th over where he was taken for 22 runs.

On Sunday, they will return to their home base and will also hope to get their tactics right, just like they did in their previous afternoon game at the venue. In that match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, having assessed that the conditions slowed down considerably once the ball got softer, GT brought in leg spinner Rashid Khan and left-arm wrist spinner Noor Ahmed, and then Mohit Sharma – who bowled 13 cutters out of 24 balls on the day – between overs 7 to 14. Three big wickets fell and only 53 runs were conceded during that phase.

RCB, who have just one left-hand batter in their top seven, can expect a trial by spin. Apart from Rashid and Noor, GT also have the option to introduce Sai Kishore in the powerplay to provide the squeeze upfront against Virat Kohli, who has struck at just 123.57 against spinners as opposed to 161.62 against fast bowlers.

But in Rajat Patidar, RCB have a batter who has not only been in fine form, but has also struck at 225 against spinners this season. RCB are also coming off a confidence-boosting win against Sunrisers, where their spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh made a significant impact.

GT will also be looking to improve their powerplay game with the bat: their run rate in the phase is just 8.1, the second-lowest among all teams this season. The slow starts from the top three of Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudarshan has put the middle order – which has several big-hitters – under pressure to make up.

GT vs RCB Team news and impact player strategy

Gujarat Titans

GT brought Sai Sudarshan in for Sandeep Warrier as the Impact Player in the last match; if they bat first, they are likely to do the opposite. Azmatullah Omarzai has not had great returns with the bat or ball in six matches so far, and with enough bowling options in their side, will they look to slot Kane Williamson in at No. 4

Royal Challengers Bengaluru
RCB swapped in left-arm spinner Swapnil Singh as the Impact Player for Rajat Patidar in the second half of the game against SRH, and the move paid dividends. Swapnil removed Aiden Markram and the dangerous Heinrich Klaasen in a double-wicket over and gave RCB the upper hand. The visitors are unlikely to change their line-up barring any injury concern.

GT vs RCB In the spotlight

Shubman Gill has not been his consistent best this season: he’s coming into this game with scores of 6, 35 and 8. His slow starts have also hurt GT’s run rate in the powerplay. But with GT returning to their home base, which also happens to be one of Gill’s most favorite places to score, will he be able to get his side off to a strong start. He has an average of over 64, scoring 833 runs in just 16 games, in the IPL at this venue.

Virat Kohli scored a 43-ball 51 against SRH, his third half-century of the season, but it was an innings of two halves. Having raced away to 23 in his first 11 balls, he took 32 deliveries to score the next 28 runs, struggling against left-arm spinner Shahbaz Ahmed as well as the left-arm seam pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Natarajan who bowled an assortment of slower balls.

In this year’s IPL, Kohli has struck at 155 with 35 boundaries in the powerplay, but only strikes at 123 in the middle overs hitting just 13 boundaries. GT will look to exploit this by introducing spin early against Kohli, who has a strike rate of under 140 against each of Rashid, Sai Kishore and Noor.

GT vs RCB Vital Stats that matters

  • Rashid has a great record against RCB’s three key batters in T20s. He has dismissed Kohli twice in eight meetings, while Faf du Plessis and Dinesh Karthik have fallen to him three times in nine and eight meetings respectively.
  • RCB have conceded over 60 in the powerplay in six of their nine games this IPL so far.
  • While Saha has fallen to Mohammed Siraj three times in six meetings, Gill has a strike rate of 159 against the RCB pacer

GT vs RCB Probable Playing XIs

Gujarat Titans

Wriddhiman Saha (wk.), Shubman Gill (c), Kane Williamson, Azmatullah Omarzai, Abhinav Manohar, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Ravi Srinivasan Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Sandeep Warrier, Mohit Sharma

Impact Substitute – Sai Sudarshan

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik (wk.), Karn Sharma, Lockie Ferguson, Yash Dayal, Mohammed Siraj

Impact substitute – Swapnil Singh

GT vs RCB Fantasy Playing XI : Wriddhiman Saha (wk.), Shubman Gill (c),Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Cameron Green, Rashid Khan, Dinesh Karthik (wk.), Karn Sharma, Sai Sudarshan

Probable Best Players of the Match 

Probable Best Batter:

Shubman Gill: He could be the best batter in the upcoming game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. Gill has been in good form as of late and is the driving force in GT’s batting line-up. So far he has scored 304 runs in his last nine games. He would be keen on putting in a similar showing in the upcoming game as well.

Probable Best Bowler:

Mohit Sharma: He could be the best bowler in the upcoming game against Royal Challengers Bengaluru. With 10 wickets in his last nine matches, Mohit is the highest wicket-taker for his team this season. His spell could go a long way in propelling his side to a win.

GT vs RCB Match Prediction

Scenario 1

Gujarat Titans win the toss and opt to bowl

Powerplay score: 45-55

First innings score: 185-195

Gujarat Titans win the match

Scenario 2

Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the toss and opt to bowl

Powerplay score: 55-65

First innings score: 195-205

Gujarat Titans win the match


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