“We are going to bowl first. Looks a little dry, a little patchy. The first four or five overs can give us a bit of swing, and just in case if there’s any dew, we always like to chase it,” Gill said at the toss.
The decision comes at a crucial stage of the tournament, with Gill underlining the importance of the next two home games in shaping Gujarat’s playoff chances. “Very important two points for us. The next two games, including this one at home, are going to determine where we stand and how far we go in the tournament,” he added, while also praising RCB’s form.
Interestingly, Gujarat have persisted with the same XI that defeated Chennai Super Kings, leaving out Prasidh Krishna despite his tally of 12 wickets in seven matches this season.
RCB captain Rajat Patidar admitted he would have opted to field first as well but remained optimistic about batting conditions. He pointed out that the pitch, despite some grass, is expected to remain good for stroke play.
Patidar also emphasised the team’s strong collective effort this season, noting that different players have stepped up at various moments. Like GT, RCB have also gone in with an unchanged lineup, adding further intrigue to what promises to be a closely fought contest.
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Shubman Gill(c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler(w), Jason Holder, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood
