3 things RCB need to do right to beat GT in IPL 2025 clash in Bengaluru ft. Virat Kohli

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are set to face Gujarat Titans (GT) in Match 14 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL 2025), in what will be their first home game. The two teams will square off at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Wednesday, March 2.

RCB are in great form coming into this encounter. They will aim to make it three wins in a row, having emerged victorious in their first two outings this season against Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) and Chennai Super Kings (CSK).

The Titans, meanwhile, started their campaign with a loss against Punjab Kings (PBKS). But they bounced back to open their account in the points table with a victory against five-time champions Mumbai Indians (MI).

However, GT’s upcoming game against RCB might be a challenging one, given they are playing their first away match. RCB, on the other hand, are playing their first home game of the season, and are expected to be more familiar with the conditions in Bengaluru.

The hosts will thus have an upper hand in the game, especially given their recent victorious outings. On that note, here are three things that RCB must do right to mark their first victory at home this IPL 2025 season.

#3 Middle order to tackle Rashid Khan effectively

RCB’s middle order batters are predominantly all-rounders, and those who aren’t, are great players of spin. Skipper Rajat Patidar, who bats at No. 4, will be expected to play a knock similar to the one he played against CSK in the team’s previous outing.

GT’s middle overs will be handled by their ace spinner Rashid Khan, who is capable of changing the face of the game with just a few deliveries. Liam Livingstone will play a key role here as the English all-rounder has a brilliant record against the Afghan spinner.

Livingstone has scored 129 runs in 77 deliveries against Rashid, which is a strike rate of 167.53. The GT spinner, on the other hand, has dismissed the RCB batter four times in 14 T20 outings. With both players raring to go, RCB must make the most of Rashid’s spell by deploying Livingstone to counter-attack.

#2 Calculated powerplay batting

RCB openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli are in good touch with the bat. The former Indian skipper has scored 3456 runs at Chinnaswamy, the most by any batter at a single venue in T20s. Against the Shubman Gill-led side, he has a hundred and three fifties to his name from five innings.

Given his and Salt’s form, they will be expected to make the most of the powerplay, especially with the shorter boundaries at the venue. The game will see GT’s new-ball bowler Mohammed Siraj going up against his former teammate, Kohli.

This will be one major hurdle the top-order batters will have to cross in the powerplay overs. GT might as well deploy Sai Kishore in the powerplay to exploit some of Kohli's shortcomings against spinners.

#1 New-ball bowlers must aim to dismantle GT’s strength- their top order

GT’s batting strength lies in their top-order lineup, which consists of three powerful hitters - Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler, and Sai Sudharsan. Josh Hazlewood has amazed everyone with his hard lengths, and his tactics so far this season have worked in his favor.

Bhuvneshwar Kumar, a veteran of the game, will be up against GT’s power-packed top-order, and he has a great record against the opposition’s openers. While he has dismissed the GT skipper thrice in the past, Buttler has fallen prey to the Indian pacer a whopping seven times.

If RCB manage to dismiss the top three batters inside the powerplay, their chances of winning the encounter will skyrocket. GT’s middle-order batters haven’t found the momentum yet, which is why they have been heavily reliant on the top order.