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Table-toppers Gujarat Titans will look to continue their dream run when they face inconsistent Royal Challengers Bangalore at the Brabourne Stadium, Mumbai on Saturday. In their maiden IPL season, the Titans have ticked all boxes, having found a match-winner for each game so far. In their previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad, they were struggling against Umran Malik’s raw pace before Rashid Khan and Rahul Tewatia produced some late fireworks to seal a thrilling win for the IPL newbies. With seven wins from eight matches and on a five-match winning streak, the Titans are the clear favourites to win the match. While Bangalore will hope for Virat Kohli’s return to form, Gujarat will rely heavily on skipper Hardik Pandya, who has been in phenomenal form with 305 runs from seven games.
Shubman Gill, on the other hand, has blown hot and cold this season. The young opener will seek consistency after his opening partner Wriddhiman Saha returned to form with a brisk fifty in last game. The side also has David Miller, Abhinav Manohar and Rahul Tewatia but the batters will have their task cut out against a strong bowling opposition comprising the likes of Josh Hazlewood and Harshal Patel.
On the bowling front, the Titans have Mohammed Shami spearheading their pace attack with 13 wickets in the tournament. He’s also got a brilliant IPL record against Kohli. Shami will be joined by Lockie Ferguson, who bled 52 runs in the previous game. The New Zealand quick will look to redeem himself against Bangalore. In the spin unit, Gujarat have an in-form Rashid, who has been contributing with the bat as well.
GT Predicted XI vs RCB
Openers: While Gill needs to show consistency, Saha looked in great touch against the Sunrisers. The veteran wicketkeeper-batter produced a brisk 68 before falling prey to Umran Malik’s pace.
Top and middle-order: Hardik recorded a rare failure in the last game after he perished on just 10 but the Titans will expect him to take the responsibility of scoring the bulk of runs against Bangalore. He will be joined by Abhinav Manohar and David Miller.
Power hitters: Rahul Tewatia produced a fiery 40 against Hyderabad. A proven finisher who remains unfazed by the pressure, Tewatia produced late fireworks to steal the match away from the opponents.
Spin options: Rashid went for 45 runs in the last game but shone with the bat in the thrilling run chase. With his leg-spin exploits, the Afghanistan star remains a crucial element of the GT bowling attack.
Pacers: Mohammed Shami will be spearheading the pace unit with Lockie Ferguson and Alzarri Joseph as the overseas pacers. The Titans also have Yash Dayal, who conceded just 24 runs in his four overs against Hyderabad and removed a well-set Aiden Markram as well.
GT Predicted XI: Wriddhiman Saha (wk), Shubman Gill, Hardik Pandya (c), Abhinav Manohar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Alzarri Joseph, Lockie Ferguson, Mohammed Shami, Yash Dayal.
Changes from the last match: It is unlikely that Gujarat will make any changes to their playing eleven. The spotlight will be on Shami, who is just one wicket away from 150 T20 plucks. Against Bangalore, Shami has taken 13 wickets in 10 innings, removing Virat Kohli on four occasions in 46 balls. As the star Indian batter looks to rediscover his lost mojo, Shami remains key for the Titans, who look to seal the playoffs berth.
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