The 52nd match of the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League will see Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans going one-on-one against each other at the M.Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Saturday from 7:30 pm onwards.
With seven losses to their name, RCB is almost on the brink of elimination from the playoff race. On the other hand, the Titans still have a chance of making it to their third consecutive playoffs if they win all of their upcoming games.
What has happened so far?
The Bengaluru-based franchise is currently languishing at the bottom of the points table as they have won only three games so far while losing as many as seven matches to gain only six points. After scoring a victory against Punjab Kings in their second IPL 2024 game, the Challengers recorded a six-match losing streak.
However, their fortunes finally turned as they defeated Sunrisers Hyderabad by 35 runs and followed it up with another victory against Gujarat Titans by nine wickets. It was a decent batting performance by the GT batters in the first innings as they recorded a score of 200 runs in the allotted 20 overs. Sai Sudharsan ended up as the top run-scorer for the team with 84 runs while Shahrukh Khan also did well by playing an innings of 58 runs off just 30 balls.
However, following the exploits of Will Jacks and Virat Kohli, RCB was able to chase the score within 16 overs. Jacks smashed a stunning 41-ball hundred while Kohli also contributed with a knock of 70 runs off 44 balls.
As far as Gujarat Titans’ overall performance in the 2024 edition of the T20 extravaganza is concerned, the franchise has won four games while losing six matches to occupy the eighth place in the points table. They are currently on a two-match losing streak as before tasting defeat against RCB, Delhi Capitals hammered Shubman Gill’s men.
Head to Head Record
Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans are equal when it comes to the head-to-head records in the Indian Premier League. The two teams have faced each other in a total of four games and have won two encounters each with RCB equalling the record with a 9-wicket win in the first meeting of the season a few days back.
Key Players
Sai Sudharsan (Gujarat Titans): Sai Sudharsan will be the player to watch out for as GT will take on RCB on Saturday. He is the top run-scorer for the franchise while occupying third place in the overall list, with 418 runs to his name in ten matches at an average of over 46.
The 22-year-old delivered a commendable performance in the last match against the Bengaluru outfit as he played a knock of not out 84 runs off 49 balls with the help of eight boundaries and four maximums.
Dinesh Karthik has emerged as RCB’s anchor in the middle-order in IPL 2024
Dinesh Karthik (Royal Challengers Bengaluru): Following a sub-par performance last season, Dinesh Karthik finally returned to form in the 2024 edition of the Indian Premier League. The beginning of the tournament saw RCB’s top-order crumbling except Virat Kohli and it was Karthik who stepped up in such situations and scored runs for the team at a good pace.
In 8 innings so far, the wicketkeeper-batter has smacked 262 runs at an average of over 52. The batter didn’t get a chance to showcase his mettle in the last game against the Titans, as RCB won the match by nine wickets. However, the odds are in his favor to deliver a match-winning performance on Saturday.
Team News from Both Camps
As Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans will lock horns against each other for the second time in the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, they are unlikely to make any changes to their respective playing XIs.
The Titans aren’t facing any injury scars and will have all their players available for selection. As far as RCB is concerned, the team missed the services of Glenn Maxwell on a handful of games as he took a break. However, the power-hitter made a comeback during the team’s most recent encounter and is likely to play on Saturday as well.
Predicted XIs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis ©, Will Jacks, Rajat Patidar, Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Swapnil Singh, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Yash Dayal
Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill ©, Sai Sudharsan, David Miller, Azmatullah Omarzai, Rahul Tewatia, Shahrukh Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Mohit Sharma
Prediction
The odds are in the favor of Royal Challengers Bengaluru to score a win on Saturday and climb up the points table from the last place. The team hasn’t been up to the mark in the tournament but they have finally picked up the pace and are coming into this fixture with two consecutive victories.
On the other hand, Gujarat Titans can be low on confidence as seem to have lost the plot with a two-match losing streak to their name. The franchise would also be under immense pressure as losing the game can almost rule them out of the playoff race.