Follow UsRoyal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are playing their first home game of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) today, taking on the IPL 2022 champions Gujarat Titans (GT) at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.
But while RCB and Rajat Patidar lost the toss, the clash still began with some good news for the hosts, as GT captain Shubman Gill announced that their talisman Kagiso Rabada will be missing the encounter. In fact, thanks to Rabada missing the clash, GT will be starting the game with just two overseas players - Jos Buttler and Rashid Khan.
Shubman Gill informed that Rabada will be missing the RCB clash due to personal reasons. In his absence, GT have drafted in Arshad Khan, who played GT’s first game against Punjab King (PBKS) but conceded 21 runs off the solitary over he bowled.
That being said, it remains to be seen how big a blow Rabada’s absence will prove for GT. In each of GT’s first two games this season, the South Africa pacer was ultra expensive, conceding 1/41 against PBKS and 1/42 against Mumbai Indians (MI). Against MI, Rabada was in fact the most expensive GT bowler.
Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Arshad Khan, Rashid Khan, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma
Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal