IPL: RCB opt to bowl first, LSG fight for playoff survival in Lucknow

RCB skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to field against Lucknow Super Giants in a crucial IPL match. LSG are in a must-win situation to keep their playoff hopes alive, while RCB returns refreshed after a week-long break.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar won the toss and opted to field in their Indian Premier League (IPL) clash against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in Lucknow on Thursday.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru return refreshed after a week-long break, while the struggling Lucknow Super Giants find themselves on the brink of elimination.

The Lucknow-based side must win tonight to keep their playoff hopes alive. A defeat will virtually end their campaign for a playoff spot.

What the captains said

"We will bowl first. It's not as loud as Chinnaswamy, but it's still loud. The surface looks good, and we'll look to restrict them to a low score. The break was good; everyone is doing well, and we had some hard practice. We are playing with the same team," Rajat Patidar said during the toss.

"Few changes in our team. Some injuries - Inglis and Mohsin Khan miss out. The only thing is to move with clarity. We know we're a top team, but the main thing is clarity. We have a few changes in the batting order. Having a stable environment is needed, but we need to make changes at times. Looks like a 180-190 wicket, a better wicket than most of the other games," LSG skipper Rishabh Pant said.

Teams

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar, Josh Hazlewood.

RCB Impact subs: Jordan Cox, Tim David, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal, Venkatesh Iyer

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Arshin Kulkarni, Nicholas Pooran, Aiden Markram, Rishabh Pant(w/c), Akshat Raghuwanshi, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Mohammed Shami, Prince Yadav.

LSG Impact Subs: Mayank Yadav, Mukul Choudhary, Abdul Samad, Manimaran Siddharth, Avesh Khan. (ANI)

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