The 70th and final league match of IPL 2023 is underway between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Gujarat Titans. Gujarat won the toss and elected to bowl first. The match is being held at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Bangalore. This is the first encounter between the two teams this season, and in their previous meeting in IPL 2022, RCB emerged victorious by 8 wickets. Notably, RCB has made some changes to their playing eleven for this match.
Himanshu Sharma has been included in RCB’s team, replacing spinner Karn Sharma. Himanshu is also one of the Impact Players for RCB. On the other hand, the Gujarat team has retained the same playing eleven as their previous match. Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya mentioned during the toss that they are fielding with the unchanged team.
Statements from the Captains after the Toss:
Hardik Pandya – After winning the toss, Gujarat captain Hardik Pandya stated, “Considering the weather conditions, we decided to bowl first. It’s good to know the target we need to chase. Winning matches and maintaining our winning streak is crucial for us. I believe in good habits and want to continue that. I aim to play positive cricket and this match holds the same importance as the upcoming qualifier.”
Faf du Plessis – RCB captain Faf du Plessis commented after the toss, “Looking at the conditions, you always prefer to chase runs, but our team will need to perform well while batting first. The players are motivated and ready for the challenge.”
Playing XI for Royal Challengers Bangalore:
RCB Playing Xi: Virat Kohli (Captain), Faf du Plessis, Michael Bracewell, Glenn Maxwell, Mahipal Lomror, Anuj Rawat, Dinesh Karthik (wicketkeeper), Harshal Patel, Wayne Parnell, Mohammad Siraj, Vijaykumar Vaishak.
Impact Players: Himanshu Sharma, S Prabhudesai, Finn Allen, Sonu Yadav, Akash Deep.
Playing XI for Gujarat Titans:
GT Playing Xi: Shubman Gill, Wriddhiman Saha (wicketkeeper), Hardik Pandya (Captain), Dasun Shanaka, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmed, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal.
Impact Players: Vijay Shankar, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Sai Kishore, Abhinav Manohar.
