Follow UsIn what comes as a huge blow to Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), in-form finisher Tim David has been ruled out of the must-win clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) due to a hamstring injury he sustained in the clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH). In David’s absence, RCB have opted to recall Liam Livingstone, who started the season but was dropped midway after a string of poor performances.
RCB have also handed a debut to Nuwan Thushara, who takes the spot of Lungi Ngidi, who has left for England to prepare for the World Test Championship (WTC) Final against Australia. Meanwhile, Josh Hazlewood continues to miss out despite having rejoined the RCB side after returning from Australia. The speedster is currently managing a shoulder niggle.
Aiden Markram is also unavailable for LSG, and in his place, the franchise have brought in young South African batter Matthew Breetzke. Three months back, Breetzke became a history maker by becoming the first player in ODI history to post a 150+ score on debut.
In what comes as good news for LSG, meanwhile, Digvesh Rathi, who was suspended for the previous encounter against Gujarat Titans, returns to the starting XI in place of Akash Deep.
The clash is a must-win for RCB in order to finish in the Top 2. On May 26 (Monday), Punjab Kings booked their spot in the top two by thrashing Mumbai Indians.
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara
Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, William O'Rourke