Gujarat Need Full Team Effort vs Fearsome RCB

Stakes: GT stuck mid-table, 4 wins/4 losses from 8 games. RCB 2nd with 6 wins from 8, "imperious form "Last meeting: RCB chased 206 vs GT at Chinnaswamy with 7 balls to spare, just a week ago. Top-heavy batting: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill, Jos Buttler "scoring bulk of runs". Middle order strike rate only 135 — lowest six count in IPL 2026 Finishers not firing: Shahrukh Khan, Rahul Tewatia "have not set the stage on fire yet" Recent collapse: Lost to MI by 99 runs — "lack of resistance once early momentum was lost "Home woes: Lost 2 of 3 games at Motera this season. GT's top three of Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan and Jos Buttler have contributed 70% of their runs, but the middle order continues to look fragile. The management has persisted with the same players for a while, though the last two games have seen a tweak, with Jason Holder finally brought in to bolster the middle order apart from the overs he delivers. Adding to their concerns is Rashid Khan's dip in returns over the last few games. He's gone for runs without his usual control, conceding 21 in the lone over he bowled against Chennai Super Kings (CSK) and 2 for 49 in four overs against RCB at the Chinnaswamy. Across his last five innings, he's leaked runs at an economy rate of 10 while picking up just three wickets, a rare downturn for someone so consistently reliable over the years. GT will be hoping Rashid, along with the rest of their attack, rediscovers its wicket-taking ways against one of the most feared batting line-ups. With the business end approaching, momentum is on the line. A win would keep GT within touching distance of the top four and help them break away from the logjam in the bottom half, with CSK, Mumbai Indians, Kolkata Knight Riders and Lucknow Super Giants all bunched together. New-ball wreckers: Bhuvneshwar Kumar "swing masterclass" + Josh Hazlewood "Test match lengths targeting outside edge" have "wreaked havoc in tandem "Middle-overs control: Krunal Pandya "barrage of variations "Batting in form: Virat Kohli 9000 IPL runs, SR 162.50. Devdutt Padikkal SR 192.06. Bethell talent waiting to explode Confidence: "Totally annihilated Delhi Capitals" last game. Purely as a wicketkeeper, Jitesh Sharma has arguably been among the best this season. RCB will be hoping that form carries into his batting. With a highest of 23 in six innings, he's yet to kick into top gear. It mirrors last season, when he began slowly before exploding late, highlighted by an unbeaten 85 off 33 against LSG to vault RCB into the top two, and a 24 off 10 in the final. This time, he'll be keen to spark that turnaround sooner. This is the same surface that hosted last year's IPL final, where RCB defended 190. In the only IPL game played on this deck so far this season, KKR were bowled out for 180 - below the par score of 199 on this deck - with GT chasing it down comfortably by five wickets. Ahmedabad has been reeling under oppressive weather conditions with temperatures touching 43 degrees. This has meant the surface has been watered a tad more than usual. It should largely be an even red-soil surface with runs aplenty.