Royal Challengers Bengaluru stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in the final league match of IPL 2025.  (Photo | AFP)
IPL

IPL 2025| RCB opt to bowl in must-win clash against LSG as playoff race heats up

Jitesh confirmed that Rajat Patidar will come in as the Impact Player, while Liam Livingstone and Nuwan Thushara return to the playing XI, replacing Tim David and Lungi Ngidi.

TNIE online desk

Royal Challengers Bengaluru stand-in skipper Jitesh Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in the final league match of IPL 2025.

With a top-two finish on the line, RCB must win this clash to secure a direct berth in Qualifier 1. Meanwhile, Rishabh Pant-led LSG are playing for pride in their last home outing of the season.

Jitesh confirmed that Rajat Patidar will come in as the Impact Player, while Liam Livingstone and Nuwan Thushara return to the playing XI, replacing Tim David and Lungi Ngidi. RCB fans also received a major boost as Jitesh announced that Josh Hazlewood and Tim David are set to return for the playoffs.

On the other side, LSG have made two changes, Digvesh Singh Rathi returns to the XI and South African Matthew Breetzke comes in for his compatriot Aiden Markram.

All eyes will be on RCB icon Virat Kohli, who is on the brink of breaking two monumental IPL records tonight.

Playing XIs:

RCB: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (c/wk), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara, Suyash Sharma

LSG: Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (c/wk), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Avesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, William O'Rourke

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