Liam Livingstone or Tim Seifert - who should RCB play if Tim David is not fit for IPL 2025 match vs LSG?
Liam Livingstone or Tim Seifert, who should the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) play if Tim David is not fit for their IPL 2025 match against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG)? This has been a burning question as RCB gear up for their final league game of the season, which is also a crucial game for them.
The two teams are set to square off at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Tuesday, May 27. RCB, who are currently third with eight wins and 17 points from 13 games, could finish in the top two with a win over LSG. It will boost their chances of playing the final, making this a huge game for them.
However, they'll face a challenging selection call if Tim David doesn't feature in this game. The star batter, who has been their finisher this season, having played some stellar knocks down the order, suffered a hamstring injury in their previous game and was seen struggling even as he walked out to bat.
In such a scenario, either Liam Livingstone or Tim Seifert, who came in as a replacement for Jacob Bethell, could walk into the XI. That said, let us look at who RCB should play among the two if Tim David remains unfit for the big clash against LSG.
#3 Liam Livingstone comes in as a like-for-like replacement of Tim David
Liam Livingstone has played seven games this season but has been unable to find his rhythm, making just 87 runs with a strike-rate of 127.94 with one half-century. However, the English batter is a like-for-like replacement of Tim David in terms of skills and ability.
David has been vital for RCB at the backend with his explosive hitting. While Livingstone has not been at his best, he is still capable of big hitting similar to the former. The team will need firepower at the backend with the power-hitting ability, which Livingstone possesses.
With the likes of Virat Kohli and Mayank Agarwal present in the batting order, it will be important to have a big hitter at the backend, where Liam Livingstone fits in well, keeping his current form aside and looking at his role and skills.
#2 Tim Seifert may not fit into the XI as he bats up the order
While Tim Seifert is a versatile batter, he usually bats in the top order for New Zealand in international cricket. Even in his last 10 T20 innings, Seifert has opened the batting. Having batted largely at the top in recent times, he may not fit into the RCB XI.
The opening combination looks well set with Phil Salt and Virat Kohli, who have done well for the most part as a pair this season. They even added 80 runs for the opening stand in just seven overs in their previous game. Salt slammed a 32-ball 62 while Kohli made a 25-ball 43.
Most likely, RCB will not want to tamper with their opening combination in a crucial game, which makes it difficult to slot Tim Seifert into the side.
#1 Livingstone's off-spin will come in handy against LSG
Apart from his batting, Liam Livigstone also bowls part-time and is an off-spinner. His off-breaks will provide RCB with an additional bowling option, which is always a luxury to have for any captain in T20 cricket.
Given that the match will be played at the Ekana Stadium, where the boundaries are also bigger as compared to other grounds, Liam Livingstone's off-spin bowling will certainly come in handy for RCB.
With in-form batters like Mitchell Marsh and Nicholas Pooran on LSG's side, who like pace on the ball, Livingstone could chip in with a few overs in the middle to apply the breaks and slow things down, making him a valuable pick over Tim Seifert.
Should Tim David not make it to the side for this clash, Liam Livingstone, with more factors in his favor and his all-round abilities, should be the ideal choice for RCB over Seifert, keeping the balance, skills, and value proposition in mind.