Jitesh Sharma wins the toss, RCB to field.
Despite coach Andy Flower confirming a day prior to the match that Rajat Patidar was fit, Royal Challengers Bengaluru caused a moment of concern for their fans by sending Jitesh Sharma to the toss. It seems that while Patidar is fit to bat, he is not fit to field, thus he was included in the substitutes list.
Patidar was set to observe the first innings from the dugout as Jitesh won the toss for RCB and opted for Sunrisers Hyderabad to bat first on a fresh Lucknow pitch. Jitesh mentioned that they aimed to take advantage of the early moisture in the surface. Phil Salt was fit and included in the playing XI.
Sunrisers Hyderabad welcomed back Travis Head, who had missed their previous match due to illness, along with Abhinav Manohar and Jaydev Unadkat. Mohammed Shami, who also missed the last match, was listed among the substitutes, allowing him to come in when SRH bowls.
This match was crucial for RCB, who had already secured a spot in the playoffs but were vying for a top-two finish, which would provide them with an advantage in the playoffs. RCB was positioned second on the table with 17 points, holding a game in hand over Gujarat Titans, who had 18 points. The third contender for a top-two finish was Punjab Kings, tied with RCB on 17 points from 12 matches.
Sunrisers Hyderabad: 1. Travis Head, 2. Abhishek Sharma, 3. Ishan Kishan (wk), 4. Nitish Reddy, 5. Heinrich Klaasen, 6. Aniket Verma, 7. Abhinav Manohar, 8. Pat Cummins (capt.), 9. Harshal Patel, 10. Eshan Malinga, 11. Jaydev Unadkat.
Substitutes: Mohammed Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 1. Phil Salt, 2. Virat Kohli, 3. Mayank Agarwal, 4. Jitesh Sharma (capt. & wk), 5. Romario Shepherd, 6. Tim David, 7. Krunal Pandya, 8. Bhuvneshwar Kumar, 9. Yash Dayal, 10. Lungi Ngidi, 11. Suyash Sharma.
Conditions report:
One boundary measures 67m, while the other is 60m. Therefore, there will be a strategic element in utilizing the larger boundary and match-ups. Aaron Finch notes that the pitch appears dark yet dry, leading him to anticipate that spinners and quicks who employ cutters will find grip in the surface. Additionally, if dew sets in late…