In a crucial match at the Ekana Stadium on Tuesday, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first against Lucknow Super Giants in the final group stage match of the 18th Indian Premier League (IPL).

This match presents a clear scenario for RCB and the other three teams that have already secured playoff spots. A win for Bengaluru will guarantee them a top-two finish, setting up a Qualifier 1 match against Punjab Kings on Thursday. Conversely, a loss would push them into an Eliminator match against the Mumbai Indians on Friday.

Lucknow's season has been a tale of two halves. Initially, they were strong contenders for a playoff spot with five wins from their first eight matches. However, their recent form has seen them win only once in the last five games, effectively ending their playoff aspirations.

For this match, RCB will be without key players Lungi Ngidi, Tim David, and Josh Hazlewood, while Lucknow has brought in Digvesh Rathi and Matthew Breetzke for the lineup.

After the toss, Jitesh Sharma expressed their strategy, stating, “We will field first. The pitch looks good for chasing, and we are keen to secure a top-two finish, which is advantageous for us. Rajat Patidar will serve as our impact player. Tim David is out, but Liam Livingstone and Thushara are in.”

Lucknow's captain Rishabh Pant commented on their toss decision, saying, “We are comfortable with either batting or bowling first. We showed potential in our last match, and we will give our all until the last ball is bowled. We have made a few changes, bringing in Breetzke and Digvesh Rathi.”

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarwal, Rajat Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w/c), Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Nuwan Thushara.

RCB Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Tim Seifert, Swapnil Singh.

Lucknow Super Giants (Playing XI): Mitchell Marsh, Matthew Breetzke, Nicholas Pooran, Rishabh Pant (w/c), Ayush Badoni, Abdul Samad, Himmat Singh, Shahbaz Ahmed, Digvesh Singh Rathi, Avesh Khan, William O’Rourke.

Lucknow Impact Subs: Akash Maharaj Singh, Prince Yadav, Ravi Bishnoi, Arshin Kulkarni, Yuvraj Chaudhary.