BENGALURU: The IPL clash at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium on Friday will bring together two captains in opposite arcs. Rajat Patidar, who had limited management experience on the domestic circuit before being handed the RCB captaincy last season, has turned into the defending champions’ most explosive batsman and a stalwart in the pressure campaign.Shubman Gill, on the other hand, comes with a tougher leadership resume that includes captaining India in Tests and ODIs. However, his season with Gujarat Titans has been far less smooth, especially in the Powerplay, though his numbers still keep him among the league’s leading run-scorers. Gujarat are reeling as a team having just recovered from 99 runs against Mumbai Indians.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SIGN UP NOW!Patidar’s rise has been one of the sharper stories of the season. Before becoming RCB captain, his management experience was largely limited to Madhya Pradesh’s campaign in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy.
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RCB admit batting failure after narrow defeat | IPL 2026He has backed up this relative inexperience with fearless batting, dominating the middle overs in the last few seasons. Currently the team’s second-highest run-scorer with 230 runs from six matches (212.96 success rate), Patidar has been RCB’s powerhouse this season.Gill’s season, on the other hand, was more uneven. The 26-year-old has had to carry a heavy scoring load this season while passing through mixed results. With a strike rate of 151.42, Gill is third in the run-scoring charts with 265 runs from five matches.With three half-centuries to his name, Gill has blown hot and cold as GT captain, with the former champions enduring an inconsistent run. This contrast between the captains is at the center of a game that both teams enter on the back of losses.RCB looked sharp in the Powerplay even at the death, with Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and Patidar giving the order a strong top and Tim David a sizzling finish. GT, meanwhile, had won three in a row before their last outing, but their crushing loss to Mumbai exposed the batting order, underscoring its reliance on the top order.While RCB’s batting has been their biggest weapon, their bowling still looks a bit thinner as they are forced to defend at home and the onus will again fall on Bhuvneshwar Kumar and spinner Krunal Pandya. They will also be hoping their Australian speed ace Josh Hazlewood bounces back after a day off against the Capitals.Meanwhile, GT’s pace attack remains the main strength, with Prasidh Krishna, their leading wicket-taker, and the support around him giving the unit bite, but their batting tends to lean heavily on Gill, Jose Buttler and Sai Sudharsan. This makes the middle order a potential pressure point. At his home ground, Prasidh could probe the RCB batsmen.History offers little to separate them. The head-to-head is tied at 3-3 while GT won the corresponding match here in 2025 by eight wickets.With RCB playing their last home league game in Bengaluru, the hosts won’t just want points: they’ll want to sign off with a win.
