Royal Challengers Bangalore are all set to lock horns with Gujarat Titans at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Notably, The Faf du Plessis-led RCB need a big victory to keep their last-four stage hopes alive when the two teams face each other in their final IPL 2022 league match on Thursday. On the other hand, the Titans have already booked their berth in the IPL Playoffs and will be testing their bench strength.
Meanwhile, ahead of the match, RCB batter Virat Kohli gifted one of his bats to GT and Afghanistan star spinner Rashid Khan during the nets session.
Rashid Khan took to Instagram and shared a video of him meeting Kohli. He captioned the post, “Always a pleasure meeting you Virat Kohli. Thank you for the gift.” The gift Khan was referring to was the bat given to him by the former India and RCB skipper.
Talking about the match, newcomers GT have so far had a dream opening season as they are already assured of a top spot in the standings with 20 points from 13 games.
RCB, on the other hand, have had a mixed bag this season, registering seven wins and six losses to occupy the fifth spot with 14 points from 13 matches.
But what could hurt RCB is their net run rate of -0.323. A win against GT would move them to 16 points but that might not be enough as they also need a few favourable results going their way.
Delhi Capitals, who are currently at fourth spot, can also secure 16 points if they beat Mumbai Indians in their last match and they have a much better net run rate than RCB at +0.255.
To stand any chance to make it to the playoffs, we must first beat the Gujarat Titans and the boys are pumped up for the Do or Die clash!
Time to cheer the loudest tonight and back the team, 12th Man Army! #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBvGT pic.twitter.com/0SVP8FQvmr
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 19, 2022
With back-to-back wins, RCB had the momentum going their way but that fizzled out after a big 54-run loss to Punjab Kings in their last match.
Virat Kohli’s woeful run continued as he managed just 20 in the last match but the stage is set for the former India captain to play an impact knock to make a turnaround in his form and the fortunes of RCB.
Skipper Faf du Plessis, Mahipal Lomror and Dinesh Karthik would also be looking to play a big knock after their bats remained silent in the last few games.
Glenn Maxwell and Rajat Patidar have been getting starts but failed to convert them into big scores.
On the bowling front, Harshal Patel and Wanindu Hasaranga have been brilliant for RCB. In fact, when all other bowlers were taken to task by Punjab batters in their last match, the duo bowled decent spells and in the process picked up four and two wickets respectively.
The harder the battle, the sweeter the success.
Fully focused on our final group stage game tonight. #PlayBold #WeAreChallengers #IPL2022 #Mission2022 #RCB #ನಮ್ಮRCB #RCBvGT pic.twitter.com/bTyyITwTtT
— Royal Challengers Bangalore (@RCBTweets) May 19, 2022
RCB, however, would be concerned over the form of Josh Hazzlewood and Mohammed Siraj as they leaked runs against Punjab. But du Plessis would be hoping for one complete performance from his side to keep RCB in the hunt.
GT, on the other hand, are the side to beat in this IPL. Even if they lose on Thursday, the Hardik Pandya-led side will finish at the top, which means it will get two chances to reach the final. For GT, the key to success in their inaugural season has been the team effort.
