‘If he bowls three overs, RCB are gone’: Ex-India captain’s explosive IPL Final Warning

Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s Romario Shepherd celebrates with his teammates (ANI Photo) As Royal Challengers Bengaluru prepare for the final match of IPL 2026 against Gujarat Titans, former India captain Kris Srikkanth has made a bold choice. The former opener believes RCB should drop Romario Shepherd from their playing XI, arguing that the West Indian all-rounder could become a major hurdle in the title race.Srikkanth expressed concern on Shepherd’s performances with the ball this season on his YouTube channel ahead of the final. While the all-rounder picked up seven wickets during the campaign, he missed out on running at an economy rate of over 12 runs per over.Srikkanth went as far as to claim that Shepherd’s bowling could be the only factor that can derail RCB’s bid for back-to-back IPL titles.“No word yet on Phil Salt so they shouldn’t change now even if he is fit as Venkatesh Iyer is doing well. The only way RCB can lose is if Romario Shepherd bowls three overs. If he bowls three overs RCB are out. Shepherd shouldn’t bite and shouldn’t be in the 11 at all,” he said on YouTube.The former Indian captain also advised RCB to stick with Venkatesh Iyer irrespective of Phil Salt’s availability. Iyer has impressed since coming into the team and Srikkanth feels the defending champions should avoid tinkering with a winning combination ahead of the biggest game of the season.Looking at Gujarat Titans’ perspective, Srikkanth identified RCB’s top order as the biggest obstacle standing between GT and the trophy. He particularly highlighted the partnership between Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal, which repeatedly laid a solid foundation for Bengaluru during the campaign.According to Srikkanth, Gujarat’s chances could depend on breaking that partnership as soon as possible.“If GT is to win at all, they will have to break the Virat Kohli-Devdutt Padikkal partnership. RCB will always win if Virat Kohli just makes 40. But his partnership with Padikkal is key for them. RCB only have problems when one of the two gets out early and there is no substantial partnership between them,” Srikkanth said.He further emphasized that Gujarat must strike early against not only Kohli and Padikkal but also against skipper Rajat Patidar. In his view, allowing any two of the three batsmen to settle could effectively give Bengaluru an advantage.“GT’s only hope for victory is to get all three of Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar out early. If any two of these three click, RCB will win. So GT must dismiss at least two of these three early to have any chance of winning. Rabada and Siraj must mix well in tandem for GT to win,” added Srikkanth.With both teams gunning for a second IPL title, Srikkanth’s comments ahead of the final added another layer of intrigue, particularly around RCB’s team selection and Gujarat’s plans against one of the tournament’s most formidable batting units.

Should RCB change their winning combination before the final?