IPL 2025: Will Jitesh Sharma's RCB Secure Victory Against SRH?

Lucknow, May 23 (NationPress) The Royal Challengers Bengaluru have successfully won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Sunrisers Hyderabad in Match 65 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium on this Friday.

Leading the Bengaluru team in this crucial match is Jitesh Sharma, who has made a significant strategic decision by bringing in Rajat Patidar as an impact substitute following a finger injury, while veteran batter Mayank Aggarwal replaces Devdutt Padikkal.

With a win today, RCB could potentially ascend to the top of the leaderboard, especially after the Gujarat Titans suffered a 33-run defeat to the Lucknow Super Giants the day before.

It was announced that RCB's final home match of the IPL will not take place at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium and will instead be held in Lucknow, following a yellow alert from the Indian Meteorological Department predicting heavy rainfall in Bengaluru.

Jitesh explained that his choice to bowl first was influenced by the change in venue and the team's unfamiliarity with the new conditions.

“This is my first time captaining RCB. Previously, I led PBKS against SRH last year. We want to bowl first to utilize the moisture on the pitch. Our goal is to finish the league on top and secure a playoff spot,” Jitesh commented during the toss.

“The management has been supportive of the players. We maintain a positive atmosphere and culture. Our aim is to win every match and ultimately lift the cup. Rajat Patidar is our impact player today, and Mayank is in for Padikkal,” he added.

The Sunrisers have had a challenging season after finishing as runners-up last year, but they aim to end on a high note. Captain Pat Cummins confirmed three changes to the team with Travis Head, Abhinav Manohar, and Jaydev Unadkat joining the playing XI.

“We’ve shown promising signs in recent matches. We are building for the next season and need to be consistent. We chased down 200 in our last game quite comfortably. I’ve been bowling alongside Shami. We would have bowled first, but we’re unsure how the pitch will behave. Our three changes include the return of Travis Head, along with Abhinav Manohar and Unadkat,” Cummins stated.

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Jitesh Sharma (wk/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma

Impact substitutes: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Jacon Bethell, Swapnil Singh

Sunrisers Hyderabad: Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins (c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

Impact substitutes: Mohammed Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh