IPL 2022: Match 43 – Predicted Royal Challengers Bangalore Playing XI vs Gujarat Titans

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) have back-to-back lost their previous two encounters and will now take on the new entrants Gujarat Titans in their next group stage match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2022. The match will be played at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on April 30 (Saturday).

The Red Army has lost their last two matches against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) respectively. RCB registered their second-lowest total ever in the history of IPL as they were bundled out for just 68 runs against SRH. In their last match against RR, the dangerous-looking batting order of RCB went flat yet again as they managed to score just 115 runs before getting all out.

The major concern for RCB will be the misfiring of their star batter Virat Kohli. Their skipper, Faf du Plessis is also having an on and off-season so far. Australian batter Glenn Maxwell has failed to get going, resulting in extra pressure on the likes of Shahbaz Ahmed and wicket-keeper batter Dinesh Karthik.

Here’s a look at Royal Challengers Bangalore’s predicted XI against Gujarat Titans:

Openers: Faf du Plessis (C) and Virat Kohli

Skipper Faf du Plessis is having an on and off season but has played some decent knocks in IPL 2022 scoring 278 runs in nine matches. With the RCB batting order feeling the pressure, captain Du Plessis would look to bring out his A-game and score runs for his new franchise.

Former RCB skipper Virat Kohli is having a horrid time with the bat and has failed to cross even the double-digit mark in the last few games. The run machine is desperate to make some runs and would want to make a statement with his bat in the upcoming match against the strong-looking Gujrat Titans.

Middle Order: Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, and Dinesh Karthik (wk)

The right-handed batter Rajat Patidar found his place in the playing XI after replacing Anuj Rawat in the previous encounter against RR. The 28-year-old managed to score 16 off 16 balls before being clean bowled by veteran spinner Ravichandran Ashwin. Patidar is expected to be given another chance to show his batting prowess.

After making some hefty contributions with the bat, wicketkeeper-batter Dinesh Karthik has failed to cross the double-digit mark in the previous two matches. The senior batter would look to contribute more with his bat in the upcoming encounter against GT. Meanwhile, Suyash Prabhudessai has failed to cash in on the opportunities he has got and is likely to be replaced by the left-handed batter Mahipal Lomror.

All-Rounders: Glenn Maxwell, Shahbaz Ahmed, and Wanindu Hasaranga

In his six appearances in IPL 2022 so far, Australian all-rounder Glenn Maxwell has scored 124 runs including a half-century (55) against the Delhi Capitals. The all-rounder has only managed a solitary scalp with the ball in hand and he would look to improve his performance in the upcoming match.

It was too much to ask from the left-handed batter Shahbaz Ahmed in the previous game as the wickets continued to fall on the other end. Shahbaz scored only 17 runs from 27 balls in the previous match against RR, but he has impressed everyone this season with his run-making abilities, so far he has scored 195 runs from seven matches. Similarly, Sri Lankan Wanindu Hasaranga might not be at his best with the bat, however, he has scalped a total of 13 wickets and would look to continue his good form with the ball.

Bowlers: Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, and Mohammed Siraj

Continuing from where he left in the previous season, pacer Harshal Patel has been amongst the wickets in this edition as well. The right-arm pacer scalped one wicket in the previous match against RR but displayed a lot of variations in his bowling. Harshal would look to continue his good form with the ball in the upcoming match as well.

Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood impressed everyone with his excellent bowling spell against RR after registering figures of 2/19 at an economy rate of 4.8. Similarly, Mohammed Siraj was also amongst the wickets as he got the wickets of Devdutt Padikkal and Ravi Ashwin in the previous match and would look to provide vital breakthroughs with the new ball against GT.

RCB predicted playing XI against GT:

Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Mahipal Lomror, Shahbaz Ahmed, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Harshal Patel, Josh Hazlewood, Mohammed Siraj