New Delhi: Virat Kohli was not named in Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s starting XI against Lucknow Supergiants in Bengaluru, but was included among the impact players, meaning he can still come in to bat if required. His early absence followed an ankle injury in RCB’s previous match against Mumbai Indians, which he won by 18 runs. Kohli and Philip Salt have been forming a stable opening pair, so their limited role slightly affects the balance of the team.RCB captain Rajat Patidar Opted to bowl first, trusting the pitch conditions to help the opening. “We’re going to bowl first. That’s clear. I see a pretty good surface,” Patidar said on the toss.
“So, we bowl first and take advantage of the first innings and keep the pressure on. Not much (on the pitch). There was a lot of grass in the last match. But I think in this wicket, I think there is no grass. So it will be a good track. But yeah, let’s see.”On the other hand, LSG captain Rishabh Pant looked confident despite his team’s inconsistent run so far. “We are quite sure, [it’s a] Good batting pitch. Regardless of whether we bat first or second, we need to perform well.” “We don’t want to be too self-conscious; trust our team and do well. There are a lot of leaders in the group, so go out and do well. That’s the team for us.”RCB made a change, brought Josh Hazlewood. Patidar said, “I think everyone is doing very well for the team… just one change. Duffy has been replaced by Josh Hazlewood.”With Kohli still available as an impact player despite a recent injury, and both teams eager to climb the table, the competition is equally poised.Lucknow Supergiants (Playing XI): Aiden Markram, Mitchell Marsh, Rishabh Pant (W/C), Nicholas Pooran, Ayush Baduni, Abdul Samad, Mukul Chowdhury, Mohammad Shami, Aveesh Khan, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Prince YadavLucknow Supergiants Impact Subs: Manimaran Siddharth, George Linde, Matthew Bretzke, Himmat Singh, Mayank YadavRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Dev Dutt Padikal, Rajat Patidar, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Karunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rashikh SalamdarRoyal Challengers Bengaluru Impact Subs: Virat Kohli, Venkatesh Iyer, Jordan Cox, Kanishk Chauhan, Mangesh Yadav
