Royal Challengers Bengaluru opener Phil Salt will miss the Qualifier 1 clash against Gujarat Titans at the HPCA Stadium in Dharamsala. The keeper-batter suffered a finger injury earlier in the season and has now been out of action for over a month. He visited England for further treatment and joined the squad last week, which excited the fans as they believed that the cricketer was not fit to return to the playing XI.
However, RCB management assessed that the 29-year-old may need some more time to gain full fitness. Thus, in his absence, the Rajat Patidar-led side trusted Venkatesh Iyer at the top of the order, who has been impressive lately. The all-rounder has made 158 runs in five matches at a strike rate of 177.52, which will allow Virat Kohli to settle in.ย
In the meantime, Saltโs absence allowed Bengaluru to play an additional overseas seamer, which can prove to be vital. Jacob Duffy has come in his place and the trio of Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood and him can create havoc with the new ball.ย
GT opt to field first
Shubman Gill had won the toss and elected to field first. The 26-year-old explained the dew factor behind his choice. He also revealed that GT have made one change to their squad, as Kulwant Khejroliya returned to the squad, in place of Arshad Khan.
โWe’re gonna bowl first. It looks like a good wicket, you know, but we have seen and in this ground particularly, there is a bit of dew in the second innings, so it’s always good to have a total on the board and a big win and then try to chase it down,โ Gill said after the toss.
RCB vs GT Playing XI:
Gujarat Titans (Playing XI): Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Nishant Sindhu, Jason Holder, Rashid Khan, Kulwant Khejroliya, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Venkatesh Iyer, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar
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