The T20 game evolves every day with teams forced to change tactics every year. If it was going slam-bang from the first ball a few years back, this year teams that have a lot of depth and have the ability to score runs despite losing wickets are doing well.
Teams like Gujarat Titans, Delhi Capitals, and Royal Challengers Bengaluru -- teams that can bat deep and therefore can score even after losing wickets, are well-balanced both in batting and bowling. Have depth in the squad that helps them tackle any situation.
We're prepared with the depth that we've got. One of the things we have spoken a lot about in this group is the trend of teams being able to score despite losing wickets. The way teams used to look at it was having set batters at the back end.
I think what's being shown a lot is the ability for Impact Players to come in at the back end and change games with high strike rates.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are flying high after beating Chennai Super Kings for the first time at home since 2008, getting the better of Kolkata Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians in their dens.
Delhi Capitals are the only undefeated team in IPL 2025 and are also on a high. After starting with a one-wicket win over Lucknow, they registered dominant victories against Sunrisers Hyderabad and Chennai Super Kings and seem capable of making a deep run in the tournament.
With three wins from four matches, RCB are placed third behind Gujarat Titans (8 points) and Delhi Capitals, who have six points like them.
DC will be looking to extend their winning streak and ride the momentum to the top spot with a victory. If they win, RCB too will be joining Gujarat Titans at the top with four points. So, both teams have everything to play for on Thursday.
While they are unbeaten in the league so far, DC have a few issues they have to sort out. One of those is whether to send K.L. Rahul up the order as they did in their last match or restore him to his usual middle-order position.
Rahul was promoted to the opening slot in the absence of regular opener Faf du Plessis, who missed the match due to an injury. Rahul struck a brisk 77 off 51 balls to guide Delhi Capitals to a convincing win over Chennai Super Kings.
If you ask any batter, they'd want to open. But look, we have to see what's best for the team. We've got a number of guys who can go and open. But I do think what separates KL (Rahul) from a lot of people in the group is his ability to bat anywhere. He's a class player. He showed that the other day.
Mott said Faf du Plessis will be assessed on Thursday morning and should be available for the upcoming match. The hosts, Royal Challengers Bengaluru, on the other hand, began their campaign with two back-to-back wins, followed by a loss, and bounced back with a win in their previous match against Mumbai Indians.
It was once again Virat Kohli who led the side with aggressive 67-run innings, which also saw him become the first Indian to score 13,000 runs in T20s, helped him set the tone while skipper Rajat Patidar’s 64 and Jitesh Sharma’s unbeaten 40 helped set a massive target.
Wicketkeeper-batter Jitesh Sharma said they are playing smart cricket and the team management has given everyone clear roles.
I think we are playing very smart cricket; it is not like we are just going out and whacking every bowler. We are playing smart cricket. We know everyone's strengths and our batting lineup knows each other very well. The team management has given us clear roles — like Jitesh Sharma will target certain bowlers, and the team will look after other bowlers. That's the kind of strategy we have. So we are going very smartly. We are not trying to dominate blindly; we are making every decision thoughtfully.
Thursday's clash will decide which of these tactics will come up on top. The two sides have played 31 matches with RCB winning 18 and DC 11.
Probable playing XIs:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (capt), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, 11 Yash Dayal
Delhi Capitals: Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser McGurk, Abishek Porel, KL Rahul (wk), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel (capt), Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar, Mohit Sharma.
