IPL 2026, RCB vs GT 34th Match Match Preview

Ravi Singh

4 hours ago

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Big picture: Keep an eye on the two sets of fast bowlers

Last year, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) barely managed to get anything by way of home advantage at the Chinnaswamy Stadium. This season hasn’t been drastically different in terms of the conditions, but RCB have adapted well, reflected in three wins in four games. On Friday, they will look to sign off from their Bengaluru leg of matches with a victory that keeps them in the top two, before heading into a run of away fixtures and then a shift to their second home in Raipur in May.

RCB have had five days to unwind since losing to Delhi Capitals (DC). While the main squad switched off to gear up for the next set of IPL 2026 matches, the rest underwent a series of match simulations and intense training sessions – a rare luxury amid the hectic scheduling. The break also gave Virat Kohli time to overcome a mild ankle strain. Although he was touch-and-go with his fitness against DC, he eventually took the field.

The contest offers a contrast in methods when it comes to batting styles. RCB are gung-ho about it, and even Kohli has bought in to the plan, and they are unlikely to change. Gujarat Titans (GT) are a lot more traditional, and slightly old-school in that they like to build gradually, set a strong platform, and then explode. Neither team will back down from their method – they have been served well, after all.

But the real spectacle could be the fast bowling. Mohammed Siraj, an RCB man not long ago, joins Prasidh Krishna and Kagiso Rabada on one side, against Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood on the other. If there’s any zip or movement in the pitch, it could be a riveting contest with elite operators either hitting top gear or using subtle variation to outthink some of the game’s best batters.

Recent form

Royal Challengers Bengaluru LWWLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
Gujarat Titans LWWWL

The big question

In the spotlight: Jacob Bethell vs Romario Shepherd and Prasidh Krishna

Is there a way for RCB to fit Jacob Bethell in? For now, his only realistic entry point is in place of Romario Shepherd as finisher. It’s a spot that scarcely does justice to Bethell’s broader skill set. But team balance matters. With Andy Flower backing Shepherd for his all-round value even after the failed last-over defence against DC, Bethell might have to wait. At the same time, Shepherd will want to repay the faith and live up to his billing, of the kind on show when he smashed a 14-ball half-century against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) last year, or when he picked up the crucial wicket of Shreyas Iyer to turn last year’s final in RCB’s favour.

Prasidh Krishna is back on home turf, looking to make amends for a lacklustre showing in the previous game, where he was taken apart in the death overs by Tilak Varma. He returned figures of 1 for 54 off his four overs. Hazlewood has utilised the conditions well at the Chinnaswamy with his hard lengths, something Krishna would have taken note of and is capable to emulating. Krishna’s ten wickets are the most this season in the middle overs, a phase where RCB are the best scoring team. It could be a gripping contest.

Team news

RCB are unlikely to make any changes to their XII unless they have to summon Plan B or they really wanted to throw Bethell into the mix. In which case, Venkatesh Iyer is best-placed to fill in as batting insurance.

RCB: 1 Virat Kohli, 2 Phil Salt, 3 Devdutt Padikkal, 4 Rajat Patidar (capt), 5 Tim David, 6 Jitesh Sharma (wk), 7 Romario Shepherd/Jacob Bethell, 8 Krunal Pandya, 9 Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 10 Suyash Sharma, 11 Josh Hazlewood, 12 Rasikh Dar

GT are grappling with a misfiring middle order. Rahul Tewatia and Shahrukh Khan are under pressure, with Kumar Kushagra waiting in the wings. Jason Holder is likely to make his GT debut in place of Glenn Phillips.

GT: 1 Shubman Gill (capt), 2 B Sai Sudharsan, 3 Jos Buttler (wk), 4 Washington Sundar, 5 Shahrukh Khan/Kumar Kushagra, 6 Jason Holder/Glenn Phillips, 7 Rahul Tewatia, 8 Rashid Khan, 9 Kagiso Rabada, 10 Mohammed Siraj 11 Prasidh Krishna, 12 Ashok Sharma

Stats and trivia

Kohli is one away from hitting 300 IPL sixes. Only Chris Gayle and Rohit Sharma have hit more.
The strike rate of 175 for RCB’s middle order is significantly higher than GT’s 135. While RCB have hit the most sixes by a middle order (34), GT have hit the least (eight).
With 1928 runs in 46 innings, B Sai Sudharsan could become the fastest to 2000 IPL runs. Gayle touched this landmark in 48 innings.
Rabada’s seven wickets are the joint-highest (along with Jofra Archer) in the powerplay this season.

Pitch and conditions

The match will be played on the same surface that hosted the CSK and DC games. The CSK fixture was a high-scoring one, where RCB made 249. The DC match offered a better balance between bat and ball, because the surface was a lot drier owing to it being an afternoon game. We now revert to the night. The curator has had six days to prepare the surface, which has been watered to have an even grass cover. Expect the runs to flow again.

Quotes

“In my old career [as part of England’s coaching setup], I’d have probably wanted him playing county cricket but that’s a different point. I think Jacob himself has talked about how much he’s got out of being at the IPL. When he had that innings against India in the T20 semi-final, he pretty much referenced the fact that having experienced some of the things he experienced here at the IPL, batting with people like Virat and playing in packed stadiums, meant that he was able to deal with whatever that situation threw at him. Everything he’s experiencing out here in the IPL is going to help him as an England cricketer, that’s for sure.”
RCB director of cricket Mo Bobat on Bethell sitting on the bench

“We trust in a method, in a formula, we trust in the players that we have in delivering that method and that formula. That, by the way, is no slight on the way the other people play as well, you know. The other teams are well within their right to play as they do.”
GT director of cricket Vikram Solanki on their more traditional batting approach

Shashank Kishore is a senior correspondent at ESPNcricinfo

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