Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Gujarat Titans won the toss and chose to bowl first against defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a crucial IPL 2026 clash at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad on Thursday.Gujarat Titans once again left out pacer Prasidh Krishna despite his impressive returns this season. The right-arm quick, who has picked up 12 wickets in seven matches and is among the team’s leading wicket-takers, was not included in the playing XI for the second consecutive game.Gill confirmed at the toss that the Titans are unchanged from their previous outing — an emphatic eight-wicket win over Chennai Super Kings — but did not elaborate on Prasidh’s absence.“We are going to bowl first. Looks a little dry, a little patchy. The first four or five overs can give us a bit of swing, and just in case if there’s any dew, we always like to chase it,” Gill said.Gill backs conditions, stresses importance of home stretchThe GT skipper emphasised the significance of the fixture in the context of the tournament, especially with consecutive home games lined up.“Very important two points for us. The next two games, including this one at home, are going to determine where we stand and how far we go in the tournament,” he noted.Gill also acknowledged the challenge posed by RCB, adding, “They are the defending champions and have been playing some really good cricket. Hopefully, it’s going to be one heck of a game.”Reflecting on team morale, he added, “After the last match, the mood is pretty nice — breezy and light. It’s about giving everything you have and putting in the right effort.”Patidar confident despite being put in to batRCB captain Rajat Patidar admitted that he too would have preferred to field first but remained confident about posting a strong total.“Obviously, we were looking to field first, but in the IPL, these are generally good wickets to bat on. There’s a bit of grass, but I don’t think it will help too much. We’ll look to put up a good total and put them under pressure,” Patidar said.He also highlighted the team’s collective effort this season. “The way we have played so far has been great. Every player has stepped up for the team. Different players performing in different matches is always a positive sign.”Patidar confirmed that RCB, like GT, are going in with an unchanged lineup.
GT vs RCB Playing XIs
- Gujarat Titans XI:
Shubman Gill (c), Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (w), Jason Holder, Shahrukh Khan, Washington Sundar, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Manav Suthar - Royal Challengers Bengaluru XI: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood
