Royal Challengers Bengaluru coaches and players during a practice session ahead of their Indian Premier League (IPL) cricket match against Gujarat Titans at M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. (PTI)

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will open their home account at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight (April 2) against Gujarat Titans (GT). Though the Women’s Premier League (WPL) wrapped up three weeks ago, the ongoing heat and dryness have left the pitches looking browner than usual.

RCB, coming off two consecutive wins to start the season, won’t mind this. Such a start has only occurred for the team twice before, in 2014 and 2021.

In previous seasons, this notion of no home advantage could have affected RCB. However, this time may be different. Last year, they made a remarkable run to the playoffs, winning three out of their last six games at home consecutively.
Against the raucous crowd support for RCB, GT will need to explore various combinations. Should Jos Buttler open alongside Shubman Gill to enhance their powerplay?
With David Miller not retained and Rahul Tewatia not in his prime hitting form, they risk over-relying on their top order. However, their bowling attack has the potential to deliver. Prasidh Krishna returns home, having played for Karnataka, and Mohammed Siraj returns to a venue that was his IPL home for seven years.

Pitch report for RCB vs GT

Teams haven’t dealt with much dew in the last two days. Regarding the pitch, Mo Bobat, RCB’s director, anticipates a “typical Bengaluru pitch” that should produce plenty of runs.
Notably, the 200-run mark wasn’t surpassed in any of the seven knockout matches of the Syed Mushtaq Ali T20s held here in December. The same trend was observed in the seven WPL games, where spinners managed to take advantage of the surface.

RCB vs GT Dream11 Team Prediction

Royal Challengers Bengaluru probable XI: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
Gujarat Titans probably XI: Shubman Gill (c), Jos Buttler (wk), Sai Sudharsan, Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, R Sai Kishore, Mohammad Siraj, Prasidh Krishna.
Impact Player: Ishant Sharma

RCB vs GT squads, IPL match Today

Royal Challengers Bengaluru squad: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara.

Gujarat Titans squad: Sai Sudharsan, Shubman Gill(c), Jos Buttler(w), Shahrukh Khan, Sherfane Rutherford, Rahul Tewatia, Rashid Khan, Kagiso Rabada, Ravisrinivasan Sai Kishore, Mohammed Siraj, Prasidh Krishna, Ishant Sharma, Washington Sundar, Glenn Phillips, Anuj Rawat, Mahipal Lomror, Arshad Khan, Jayant Yadav, Nishant Sindhu, Kulwant Khejroliya, Gerald Coetzee, Manav Suthar, Kumar Kushagra, Gurnoor Brar, Karim Janat.

RCB vs GT Head-to-Head Record

Matches played: 5
Royal Challengers Bengaluru won: 3
Gujarat Titans won: 2

Last match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 9 wickets (2024)
RCB have three wins out of five against GT but their record at home isn’t the best. They’ve mustered only one win of the three matches they have played at this venue.

GT won their first-ever match against RCB at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in 2022 before recording a 197-run chase against the hosts in IPL 2023. RCB’s only victory against GT at home came last year, clinching a four-wicket win.

RCB vs GT IPL 2025, Bengaluru weather prediction

Bengaluru weather on April 2 during the evening time is expected to be moderate with temperatures ranging between 26-29 degrees Celsius. Humidity and potential dew could make a difference in how the game goes and how the decisions are made at the toss. Expect plenty of slip ups when fielding second with humidity levels forecasted to range from 40% to 61%.