Hosts hope to seal playoff berth with full points from GT
BENGALURU: The race for IPL playoff spots will spill over to the final day of the league phase on Sunday with Royal Challengers Bangalore aiming for a berth when they take on table-toppers Gujarat Titans at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium here in the evening.
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IPL 2023 SCHEDULEIPL 2023 POINTS TABLE
RCB are currently tied on 14 points with Mumbai Indians and Rajasthan Royals but enjoy a slightly better net run rate (NRR).
A win against the defending champions will catapult them among the top four provided Mumbai do not beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by a big margin and climb above RCB on the points table. With RCB's game being played after Mumbai's match on Sunday, the home team will know what is exactly required of them.
The hosts come into this match with their tails up. In their last two must-win matches, they registered big victories against Rajasthan Royals (112 runs) and Hyderabad (eight wickets), which helped them improve their NRR. As for the Titans, they have won three of their last four matches. With the Chinnaswamy known for its short boundaries and batter friendly surface, a high-scoring contest is on the cards.
In fact, RCB have in-form batters, including skipper Faf du Plessis (702 runs) and Virat Kohli (538) while Glenn Maxwell has scored 389 runs. An interesting battle looms against the in-form Titans' bowlers, including pacer Mohammed Shami and leg-spinner Rashid Khan, who have both scalped 23 wickets each.
But the contribution barring the big three RCB batters has been below par, which has been a cause of concern. Interestingly, RCB scored 200-plus twice at the M Chinnaswamy, but it was for a losing cause, showcasing the venue as a bowlers' nightmare.
RCB bowlers will have to be on top of their game as well to provide the much-needed result. Mohammed Siraj has been the star bowler, scalping 17 wickets, while Harshal Patel has 13 against his name. Wayne Parnell has to be on the money as well.
1/10:IPL: Royal Challengers Bangalore face table-toppers Gujarat Titans
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2/10:Advantage RCB
<p>Playing this IPL's last league stage match, Royal Challengers Bangalore would know what exactly is required of them to qualify for the playoffs, when they face table-toppers Gujarat Titans on Sunday.<br /></p>AP
3/10:In-form Kohli
<p>With Virat Kohli back at his absolute best and skipper Faf du Plessis leading from the front, RCB will hope their dazzling opening duo fires in this must-win game for them.<br /></p>AFP
4/10:Better NRR
<p>Currently placed at fourth position, RCB also have a better net run rate of 0.180 than Mumbai Indians (-0.128), who take on Sunrisers Hyderabad in Sunday's first game, and Rajasthan Royals.<br /></p>AP
5/10:Must-win game for RCB
<p>However, it will mean nothing if RCB lose to defending champions Gujarat Titans.<br /></p>PTI
6/10:Gujarat are on top
<p>While Gujarat Titans lead the pecking order with 18 points after winning nine matches and losing four, RCB are equal with MI, RR on points ahead of their game at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.<br /></p>PTI
7/10:Wins in their last games
<p>Both teams are coming off big wins, GT over Sunrisers Hyderabad by 34 runs and RCB by eight wickets over the same opponents after a sparkling hundred by Kohli, his sixth overall across IPL.<br /></p>IANS
8/10:Task cut out for RCB
<p>The match against GT, however, is going to be a different ball game altogether considering the kind of resources RCB's opponents possess and the confidence they carry into their matches.<br /></p>AP
9/10:Orange Cap leader
<p>South African du Plessis, who holds the Orange Cap for scoring the most runs, has so far amassed 631 runs in 13 games. He also leads the chart for hitting the most sixes (34). <br /></p>IANS
10/10:RCB's weakness
<p>However, RCB's overreliance on Kohli, du Plessis and Glenn Maxwell has been a major cause of concern and if the GT bowlers can make early inroads, the visitors will hold the aces.<br /></p>APIt is not going to be easy against a strong Titans' batting order, led by opener Shubman Gill, who has 576 runs against his name.
They are, however, not dependent on just one individual with players like Hardik Pandya (289 runs), David Miller (249), Vijay Shankar (234) and Wriddhiman Saha (279) in their ranks.
Hazlewood to fly back home
The Achilles injury has laid Australia pacer Josh Hazlewood low since January. It kept the speedster out of the four-match Test series against India in February and March. The same injury forced the RCB foreign import to miss the first half of the ongoing IPL season as well. And, the player, who played just three matches for the franchise after recovery, is set to return home after the recurrence of the injury.
