IPL 2023 match preview: Royal Challengers Bangalore v Gujarat Titans

Key match-ups, analysis, form, team news, weather forecast, tickets, TV and streaming information, odds, predictions and more ahead of the latest encounter in the 2023 IPL

What's the match?

Royal Challengers Bangalore take on Gujarat Titans in the 2023 Indian Premier League.

When is it taking place?

The match is scheduled to start at 7.30pm local time (3pm BST) on Sunday, May 21.

Where is the match being played?

The match will be played at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore.

Who's got form?

Royal Challengers Bangalore and Gujarat Titans will be looking to looking to build on recent wins over Sunrisers Hyderabad to deliver a thrilling finale to the IPL regular season.

RCB beat Sunrisers by eight wickets thanks to an incredible innings from Virat Kohli (100 from 63 balls), who formed a destructive partnership with fellow opener Faf du Plessis. This has led them to the fourth place in the IPL table, although they are only ahead of sixth-placed Mumbai Indians on net run rate. The Indians face Sunrisers in Sunday's early fixture, potentially making this a must-win game for RCB.

Defending champions Gujarat Titans have secured top spot after winning nine matches from a possible 13, including three of their past four. They won easily last time out, with Shubman Gill scoring 101 runs off 58 balls in a 34-run win over Sunrisers. The Titans will be keen to maintain their momentum as they proceed into the knockout phase.

^{Shubman Gill is in hot form for Gujarat Titans [Idranil Mukherjee/Getty Images]}

What's the team news?

Wayne Parnell and Michael Bracewell have performed well for RCB in recent matches after they replaced Wanindu Hasaranga and Josh Hazlewood. After their recent victory over Sunrisers, expect the pair to start again.

Young batter Sai Sudharsan performed well in the Titans' last game and has a good chance of being included in the No.3 spot in this one too.

What's the key matchup?

RCB's opening bowlers taking on Gujarat's opening batters Wriddhiman Saha and Gill will be a fascinating contest.

The in-form Gill looked unassailable as he took on the Sunrisers' bowlers in their last game, but RCB's Mohammed Siraj and Parnell have bowled excellently in their past few outings.

Expect the victors of this particular match up to have a good chance of winning the contest.

Head-to-head record

Matches played: 2

Royal Challengers Bangalore wins: 1

Gujarat Titans wins: 1

What's the weather forecast?

Damp conditions could interrupt, or even stop, this clash, with a 60 per cent chance of rain in Bangalore in mid-afternoon.

^{Wayne Parnell could have a big role to play with the ball [Manjurath Kiran/Getty Images]}

What are the squads?

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis (c), Virat Kohli, Suyash Prabhudessai, Rajat Patidar (injured, Vijaykumar Vyshak), Dinesh Karthik, Anuj Rawat, Finn Allen, Glenn Maxwell, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shahbaz Ahmed, Harshal Patel, David Willey (injured), Karn Sharma, Mahipal Lomror, Mohammed Siraj, Josh Hazlewood, Siddarth Kaul, Akash Deep, Reece Topley (injured, replaced by Wayne Parnell), Himanshu Sharma, Will Jacks (injured, replaced by Michael Bracewell), Manoj Bhandage, Rajan Kumar, Avinash Singh, R Sonu Yadav, Chris Jordan (replacement)

Gujarat Titans: Hardik Pandya (c), Shubman Gill, David Miller, Abhinav Manohar, Sai Sudharsan, Wriddhiman Saha, Matthew Wade, Rashid Khan, Rahul Tewatia, Vijay Shankar, Mohammed Shami, Alzarri Joseph, Yash Dayal, Pradeep Sangwan, Darshan Nalkande, Jayant Yadav, R Sai Kishore, Noor Ahmad, Kane Williamson (injured, replaced by Dasun Shanaka), Odean Smith, KS Bharat, Shivam Mavi, Urvil Patel, Josh Little, Mohit Sharma

What are the possible starting XIs?

Royal Challengers Bangalore: Faf du Plessis, Virat Kohli, Glenn Maxwell, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Dinesh Karthik, Wayne Parnell, Harshal Patel, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Mohammed Siraj, Michael Bracewell

Gujarat Titans: Wriddhiman Saha, Shubman Gill, Sai Sudharsan, Hardik Pandya, Vijay Shankar, David Miller, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Mohit Sharma, Noor Ahmad, Mohammed Shami

What are the odds?

RCB are the narrow favourites with the bookies, with odds of 10/11. Gujarat Titans are available at 68/67.

Prediction?

This one is really tough to call, but Gujarat's batting quality may take the game away from RCB to an extent which even Kohli might not be able to fix. Titans win.

Where can I watch the game?

In the UK, Sky Sports have exclusive rights to this year's tournament, with matches available on Sky Sports Main Event and Sky Sports Cricket.

Fans in India can watch all the action on Star Sports.

Elsewhere in the world, viewers in Australia can watch the IPL on Fox Sports while in New Zealand, Sky Sport will provide coverage.

Willow TV and Flow Sports will broadcast the tournament in the United States and the Caribbean, respectively.

Fans in MENA can catch the action on beIN Sports while in South Africa, SuperSport have the rights.

If you are watching from the Middle East, you'll be able to view the game on Times Internet.

People from Bangladesh can watch the game on Gazi TV.