Hyderabad: Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be without both Jacob Bethell and Phil Salt during their crucial clash against Sunrisers Hyderabad at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium. After Salt sustained an injury earlier this season, Bethell replaced him in the playing XI but struggled to make an impact. The 22-year-old managed only 96 runs in seven matches, with a strike rate of 124.67.
Bethell was expected to make way for Salt upon his return, but the England international has now been ruled out for this match due to a finger injury. While Salt rejoined the squad earlier in the week, the franchise has decided not to risk his return just yet, opting to rest him for the game against Hyderabad to ensure he is fully prepared for the playoffs.
Hyderabad chose to bat first
Sunrisers Hyderabad captain Pat Cummins won the toss and opted to bat first. He confirmed that the team would maintain the same lineup, trusting their existing combination ahead of the playoffs. In contrast, Royal Challengers Bengaluru promoted Venkatesh Iyer to open the innings alongside Virat Kohli. This change comes after Iyer played at number four in the previous match due to captain Rajat Patidar’s concussion absence.
“There’s one change. Bethell got injured, and I’m coming in place of Bethell,” Patidar stated.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar.
Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Salil Arora, Smaran Ravichandran, Nitish Kumar Reddy, Pat Cummins (c), Shivang Kumar, Eshan Malinga, Sakib Hussain.
