Royal Challengers Bangalore Predicted Playing XI vs Gujarat Titans for Match 70 of IPL 2023
The Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) will face off against the Gujarat Titans (GT) at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Sunday, May 21, in the final league game of the 2023 Indian Premier League (IPL).
Faf du Plessis and Co. will know exactly what they need to do to qualify for the playoffs, with the Mumbai Indians (MI) set to play their final game of the league stage earlier in the day. With the five-time champions being the favorites to beat the SunRisers Hyderabad (SRH), RCB might need to clinch two points against the defending champions.
The last time the two teams met in the IPL was in the 2022 edition when Virat Kohli and Glenn Maxwell took the Royal Challengers to an eight-wicket win. They also come into this game on the back of a superb victory over SRH and might not want to change a combination that has notched up two solid wins on the trot.
Here is RCB's predicted playing XI for Match 70 of IPL 2023 against GT.
Note: Playing XIs are bound to vary majorly in IPL 2023, with the introduction of the impact player rule as well as captains having the chance to name their side after the result of the toss is known.
RCB vs GT: RCB Predicted Playing 11 vs GT in IPL 2023
Josh Hazlewood has been dealing with a heel injury in IPL 2023, with Wayne Parnell taking his place in the last couple of matches.
The South African's performances have been hot and cold, with a Player of the Match performance followed by an expensive outing. He should retain his place in the side, though, with Hazlewood struggling for fitness.
Wanindu Hasaranga, meanwhile, has reportedly recovered from a niggle to be available for selection. In his absence, Karn Sharma has been horribly expensive. RCB are bound to be tempted to bring Hasaranga back into the fold, but can they sacrifice Michael Bracewell?
Bracewell hasn't put a foot wrong since re-entering the playing XI. GT have two left-handers in their top five, but both are decent against off-spin. Hasaranga's wicket-taking threat could be a massive factor at the Chinnaswamy Stadium, though.
This is an extremely tough decision for RCB. They might not want to change a winning combination, although the wiser move might be to bring Hasaranga back.
Expect the rest of the Bangalore side to wear a similar look, with Dinesh Karthik potentially coming in as the impact player.
RCB's predicted playing XI for Match 70 of IPL 2023: Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis (c), Mahipal Lomror, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat (wk), Dinesh Karthik, Michael Bracewell, Karn Sharma, Wayne Parnell, Mohammed Siraj, Harshal Patel.
Impact player candidates: Vyshak Vijaykumar, Suyash Prabhudessai, Shahbaz Ahmed, Sonu Yadav, Kedar Jadhav.