Big Picture
Gujarat Titans' season so far has been a mixed bag. In the last game, against Delhi Capitals, their tactics were questionable: Sandeep Warrier, their best bowler of the day, ended up bowling just three overs, while left-arm spinner R Sai Kishore, coming off 4 for 33 against Punjab Kings, was introduced as late as the 19th over where he was taken for 22 runs.
On Sunday, they will return to their home base and will also hope to get their tactics right, just like they did in their previous afternoon game at the venue. In that match, against Sunrisers Hyderabad, having assessed that the conditions slowed down considerably once the ball got softer, GT brought in legspinner Rashid Khan and left-arm wristspinner Noor Ahmed, and then Mohit Sharma - who bowled 13 cutters out of 24 balls on the day - between overs 7 to 14. Three big wickets fell and only 53 runs were conceded during that phase.
RCB, who have just one left-hand batter in their top seven, can expect a trial by spin. Apart from Rashid and Noor, GT also have the option to introduce Sai Kishore in the powerplay to provide the squeeze upfront against Virat Kohli, who has struck at just 123.57 against spinners as opposed to 161.62 against fast bowlers.
But in Rajat Patidar, RCB have a batter who has not only been in fine form, but has also struck at 225 against spinners this season. RCB are also coming off a confidence-boosting win against Sunrisers, where their spinners Karn Sharma and Swapnil Singh made a significant impact.
GT will also be looking to improve their powerplay game with the bat: their run rate in the phase is just 8.1, the second-lowest among all teams this season. The slow starts from the top three of Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill and Sai Sudharsan has put the middle order - which has several big-hitters - under pressure to make up.
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