RCB look to regain rhythm against struggling LSG

Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be eager to bounce back and regain their batting rhythm after a rare collapse in their previous match as they take on bottom-placed Lucknow SuperGiants in the reverse leg clash at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Thursday.

Currently second on the table, RCB are level on 12 points with four other teams, making this a crucial phase in their play-off push. The side will be keen to quickly move past their four-wicket defeat to Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad.

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That loss exposed an unusual fragility in RCB’s batting, as they tumbled from 79 for 2 to 96 for 6 in just three overs, eventually getting bowled out for 155.

Despite that setback, the team’s batting approach this season has largely been built on aggressive intent. Virat Kohli has led from the front with 379 runs, while Devdutt Padikkal and captain Rajat Patidar have chipped in with valuable contributions.

With Phil Salt sidelined due to a finger injury, the onus now falls on Jacob Bethell to partner Kohli at the top and provide quick starts. Bethell has already shown glimpses of his potential and the team will hope he can convert that into a big performance soon.

Having had a week’s break, RCB will head into the match feeling refreshed and better prepared.

In contrast, Lucknow Super Giants have struggled for momentum and are currently at the bottom of the table, having lost five of their last six games. Their only win in that stretch came in a Super Over against Kolkata Knight Riders, but they failed to build on it and were comfortably beaten by Mumbai Indians in their previous outing.

LSG’s campaign has been hampered by inconsistency, frequent changes in strategy, and an inability to close out matches. Their key batters — Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant, Aiden Markram and Nicholas Pooran — have not been able to deliver consistently, and the constant reshuffling of the batting order has only added to their problems. Pant, in particular, has come under pressure for his white-ball form.

RCB, meanwhile, will take confidence from their bowling unit, which has been one of their strengths this season. The experienced pair of Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood have worked effectively together, including a standout performance when they bowled Delhi Capitals out for 75 on April 27. Bhuvneshwar has been especially effective with the new ball, while Hazlewood has provided control and breakthroughs.

Krunal Pandya has also been a key contributor with nine wickets, using his variations smartly, while Suyash Sharma and Romario Shepherd showed promise in the previous game despite the overall result.

For LSG, Prince Yadav and Mohsin Khan have been the most reliable bowlers, picking up 13 and 10 wickets respectively. Mohammed Shami began the season well but has struggled in recent matches, conceding runs at crucial stages.

A major concern for LSG has been their inability to contain runs at the death, often allowing opponents to accelerate, which could be a challenge against an attacking RCB batting line-up. RCB had won the first meeting between the two sides by five wickets and will take confidence from that result as they look to strengthen their position in the standings.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Philip Salt, Jitesh Sharma, Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Abhinandan Singh, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Salam Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Swapnil Singh, Nuwan Thushara, Venkatesh Iyer, Jacob Duffy, Mangesh Yadav, Jordan Cox, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra, Kanishk Chouhan, Satvik Deswal.

Lucknow SuperGiants: Rishabh Pant (c&wk), Abdul Samad, Akshat Raghuvanshi, Ayush Badoni, Mukul Choudhary, Himmat Singh, Josh Inglis (wk), Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran (wk), Arshin Kulkarni, George Linde, Mitchell Marsh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Akash Singh, Avesh Khan, Mohammed Shami, Mohsin Khan, Anrich Nortje, Prince Yadav, Digvesh Rathi, Manimaran Siddharth, Arjun Tendulkar, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav.