Bengaluru: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will rely on their fearsome batting unit to fire again as they look to dismantle an inconsistent Lucknow Super Giants and pull clear of the mid-table logjam in their Indian Premier League match here on Wednesday.
The Royal Challengers are currently third on the table with six points and four other teams are chasing the reigning champions with four points each.
The Bengaluru outfit is two points adrift of leaders Rajasthan Royals and a point behind Punjab Kings.
But in reality, no team in this edition of the IPL has driven fear into the hearts of bowlers more than RCB.
Rajasthan’s aura has been built around Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s flashing blade while Punjab has been more solid than flamboyant, building their legacy around calculated chases.
But RCB have fired in unison. They have resembled a battering ram and it reflects in the strike-rates of their top five.
Virat Kohli (162), Phil Salt (178), Rajat Patidar (214), Tim David (221) and Devdutt Padikkal (201), have put all comers through the wringer in IPL 2026.
These five batters have combined to smash an astonishing 52 sixes across four matches, the most by any team in this IPL season, taking range-hitting to another level.
As a result, they have never scored less than 200 in this IPL so far — an apt reflection of their marauding batting ideology.
Kohli bats at nets
=============
Kohli had gone out of the field with an ankle niggle during the previous game against Mumbai Indians, raising some concerns about his availability for Wednesday’s match.
But the star batter batted at nets for sometime with a strap around his leg to allay the worries for now.
The RCB will also want to cash in on the home stretch of three matches — the LSG match will be followed by fixtures against Delhi Capitals (April 18) and Gujarat Titans (April 24) — before travelling to Raipur for two ‘home’ contests.
Can Shami & Co. deliver?
================
But will they meet their match in the Super Giants bowling attack at the Chinnaswamy?
The LSG attack comprising veteran India pacer Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav and Digvesh Rathi has been impressive so far, finding a way to keep the opposition largely under check.
Shami’s economy of 6.2 is best in the league among regular bowlers so far, but the trio will need to be on the money every ball against RCB batters on a placid Bengaluru pitch.
Despite bowlers coming up with some lion-hearted efforts, LSG find themselves seventh on the table, and that is largely because of the uninspired outings of their batters.
The batting line-up led by Rishabh Pant has yet to hit its strap, and the skipper’s own form says it all — 103 runs from four matches at a strike-rate of 130.
Other big guns like Mitchell Marsh, Aiden Markram, Nicholas Pooran and younger names like Ayush Badoni and Abdul Samad have also gone cold.
Mukul Choudhary showed some spark, but he will have to do that more consistently going forward.
However, they have a chance to find some rhythm here against RCB bowlers –staying afloat on the mass of runs their batters colleagues have made.
Jacob Duffy made an impressive debut against Sunrisers Hyderabad taking three wickets but since then his runs giving rate has soared, touching 11.5.
RCB will need heavier contributions from the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Krunal Pandya, and domestic names like Rasikh Salam and Suyash Sharma as the tournament is hurtling down towards a faster, crucial phase.
The Royal Challengers will hope that lead pacer Josh Hazlewood will find his lethal best at the earliest, having made a comeback in the match against Rajasthan.
Teams (from)
==========
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Rajat Patidar (captain), Virat Kohli, Tim David, Jacob Bethell, Romario Shepherd, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Dar, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jordan Cox, Suyash Sharma, Venkatesh Iyer, Swapnil Singh, Jacob Duffy, Kanishk Chouhan, Abhinandan Singh, Mangesh Yadav, Phil Salt, Satvik Deswal, Vicky Ostwal, Vihaan Malhotra.
Lucknow Super Giants: Rishabh Pant (C), Aiden Markram, Himmat Singh, Matthew Breetzke, Mukul Choudhary, Akshat Raghuwanshi, Josh Inglis, Mitchell Marsh, Abdul Samad, Shahbaz Ahamad, Arshin Kulkarni, Wanindu Hasaranga, Ayush Badoni, Mohammad Shami, Avesh Khan, M. Siddharth, Digvesh Singh, Akash Singh, Prince Yadav, Arjun Tendulkar, Anrich Nortje, Naman Tiwari, Mayank Yadav, Mohsin Khan.
Match starts at 7.30 pm.
