Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans IPL 2026: RCB and GT will both look to make a few changes to their faltering middle-order as they face off in match No. 34 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday.
Updated: April 24, 2026 11:17 AM IST
RCB vs GT IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Gujarat Titans are both facing similar conundrums as they head into match no. 34 of the IPL 2026 season at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Friday. The middle-order batting of both RCB and GT are both a cause of concern after their losses against Delhi Capitals and Mumbai Indians respectively in their last matches.
For the home team, Romario Shepherd and wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma have only managed 39 and 52 runs respectively so far this season. Apart from skipper Rajat Patidar, Tim David and to some extent Devdutt Padikkal, the middle-order batting of defending champions has been found wanting.
Calls for bringing in start England all-rounder Jacob Bethell are now growing loud and the youngman could be brought into the RCB playing 11 at the expense of Shepherd against Shepherd. Bethell was retained for Rs 2.6 crore ahead of the IPL 2026 season by RCB and has scored 1843 runs in 97 T20 games with a strike-rate of 141.98 in his career.
“Fortunately, I’ve played my whole career in the middle-order, so, I understand certain risks. But certainly in practice, you have to get your volume of balls in because you don’t get to bat all the time in the matches,” RCB batter Tim David said in the pre-match press conference in Bengaluru on Friday.
“So, you have to be able to hit yorkers, you have to have ways of scoring against different bowling and you understand after playing for a long time the patterns the bowlers will try to use to slow you down,” David added.
Shubman Gill’s GT is facing similar issues especially after the side’s 99-run loss to Mumbai Indians in their last match. The likes of Rahul Tewatia, Glenn Phillips and Rashid Khan have all failed to get going with the willow with 49, 67 ad 28 runs respectively.
West Indies all-rounder Jason Holder is yet to get a look-in so far this season but GT could bring him into the Playing 12 at the expense of Phillips. Holder was bought for Rs 7 crore at the IPL 2026 mini auction last year.
“I have been enjoying the experience. They have basically welcomed me with both arms, and it has been a very warm feeling. I have thoroughly enjoyed Ahmedabad. I have been here obviously a few times, played a game in the World Cup here, played some international fixtures here against India. So like, it is not a strange place to me personally. So it’s like coming back to familiar territory,” Holder was quoted as saying by ANI earlier this week.
GT could also consider replacing M. Shahrukh Khan, who has only managed to score 35 runs in 6 matches so far and bring in young Kumar Kushagra.
DSP DDP pic.twitter.com/KbtZypp3vg
— Gujarat Titans (@gujarat_titans) April 23, 2026
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Gujarat Titans IPL 2026 match no 34 Predicted 12
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Tim David, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd/Jacob Bethell, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Rasikh Dar
Gujarat Titans: Shubman Gill (c), B Sai Sudharsan, Jos Buttler (wk), Washington Sundar, Shahrukh Khan/Kumar Kushagra, Jason Holder/Glenn Phillips, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ashok Sharma
