Summary of this article
RCB welcome GT for IPL 2026 match number 34 tomorrow
Both the teams will be looking to improve their batting at the M Chinnaswamy
Full preview available
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be eyeing a batting resurgence against an equally stuttering Gujarat Titans in their Indian Premier League match here on Friday.
A slightly tacky Chinnaswamy pitch squeezed the usual firepower out of the RCB batting unit against Delhi Capitals in their previous match, which they lost by six wickets.
But more than the second defeat of the season, which was also a first at home in IPL 2026, squandering a chance to firm up their position inside the top four might disappoint RCB management.
Now, third on the table with eight points, they have Sunrisers Hyderabad (8 points), Delhi Capitals and the Titans (6 points each) close on their tail.
The reigning champions would very well know that another slip-up, this time against GT, would push them further into a tight spot, particularly because they are now bracing for a slew of away matches, including two at 'home away from home' Raipur.
Therefore, the Royal Challengers would like to give a fitting farewell to their adoring and loyal Chinnaswamy fans, producing a forceful effort against Gujarat.
But one pre-requisite for that is RCB batters' regaining their mojo and finding a way to put on board a challenging total even when conditions do not favour them.
The opposite of it has happened in two matches in a row. RCB won quite easily in the end against Lucknow Super Giants in the 16th over but gave away five wickets in return.
Against DC, the RCB batters could not get going from ball one despite opener Phil Salt making a well-crafted 63.
Even acclaimed six-hitters like Rajat Patidar and Tim David had to look for alternate ways to score runs, though without much success.
So, the RCB batters might do well to keep a Plan B in store, as, at times, their all-out attack approach might not work.
RCB bowlers under Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has aged like fine wine, dragged the contest against the Capitals to the penultimate over, but did not have enough runs on board to play with.
They would hope for a change in script on Friday.
Similarly, the Gujarat outfit too would envisage a changed script.
The former champions were bundled out for 100 by Mumbai Indians, pushing them to a 99-run defeat which also dealt a severe blow to their net run rate.
Skipper Shubman Gill and Jos Buttler have shown some consistency but the likes of B Sai Sudharsan, Glenn Phillips and Rahul Tewatia are yet to support them with knocks of importance or at least some handy cameos.
It has resulted in GT's failure to come up with at least one signature batting effort this season, unlike their Friday's rival RCB have done so often in IPL 2026.
The Titans have a potent bowling line-up consisting of Prasidh Krishna, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj and Rashid Khan but were often hampered by their batting colleagues' inconsistencies.
RCB Vs GT, IPL 2026: Squads
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.
Gujarat Titans: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Shahrukh Khan, Anuj Rawat, Jos Buttler, Kumar Kushagra, Tom Banton, Glenn Phillips, Jason Holder, Nishant Sindhu, Rahul Tewatia, Washington Sundar, Sai Kishore, Jayant Yadav, Arshad Khan, Shahrukh Khan, Manav Suthar, Rashid Khan, Mohammed Siraj, Kagiso Rabada, Prasidh Krishna.
Match starts at 7.30pm.
