The Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) have won the toss and opted to bowl first against the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the 57th match of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 season at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium in Raipur. Both teams have made one change.
Why did RCB choose to bowl?
Due to threat of rain and how it can help the chasing team if the game is curtailed, RCB captain Rajat Patidar chose to bowl first. He expects a similar pitch, like the one against the Mumbai Indians, where there was movement for pacers and variable bounce. Also, Romario Shepherd has been dropped.
“We will bowl first. I think it’s a similar wicket to the one we played on in the last match. It will behave in a similar way. We will try to keep them under pressure. I think the wickets are pretty much the same. There will be variable bounce. That was a good game for us; everyone has a lot of confidence. Every game is important; we are focusing more on playing good cricket. Venky comes in for Shepherd,” Patidar said after winning the toss.
Meanwhile, KKR captain Ajinkya Rahane stated that he also wanted to bowl first. KKR also made one forced change, with Varun Chakaravarthy sitting out due to a leg injury, and Saurabh Dubey, a left-arm fast bowler from Vidarbha, making his IPL debut.
“The last four games have been good for us. For us, it’s taking one game at a time. It’s about respecting the opponents and winning those small moments. This format is all about that; winning those small moments is important. Varun is out; Saurabh comes in for him,” Rahane told Ravi Shastri.
RCB vs KKR: Playing XIs & Impact Subs
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Jacob Bethell, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Venkatesh Iyer, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam Dar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood
- Impact Subs: Devdutt Padikkal, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Romario Shepherd, Swapnil Singh
Kolkata Knight Riders: Ajinkya Rahane (c), Finn Allen, Cameron Green, Angkrish Raghuvanshi (wk), Rovman Powell, Manish Pandey, Rinku Singh, Sunil Narine, Anukul Roy, Vaibhav Arora, Kartik Tyagi
- Impact Subs: Saurabh Dubey, Ramandeep Singh, Tejasvi Dahiya, Navdeep Saini, Tim Seifert
Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium Pitch Report
The pitch at the SVNR Stadium for the RCB vs KKR match is expected to aid fast bowlers. In the first IPL game at the venue since 2016, we saw a sub-170 game. There was swing, seam, and inconsistent bounce. If the weather comes into play and there is a forecast for rain, the surface might get even trickier for batters. A 160-180 range game is likely on the cards.
IPL record at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium for toss winners
Winning or losing the toss in Raipur has a negligible impact on the outcome of the match. Chasing teams have an advantage, as we witnessed in the last match.
| Total Matches | Matches Won after Winning Toss | Matches Lost after Winning Toss | Matches Won Batting First | Matches Won Batting Second |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | 4 (57.14%) | 3 (42.86%) | 2 (28.57%) | 5 (71.43%) |
RCB vs KKR: Who has the advantage?
If the game is rain-affected, the side that bats second will have an advantage. In that case, defensive bowling could be the difference maker. Considering RCB has a well-rounded bowling attack, they’ll have an edge. Varun Chakaravarthy isn’t certain to play, and the surface may not aid spinners much, which nullifies KKR’s biggest weapon.
Kartik Tyagi is KKR’s most economical fast bowler, and even he’s gone at 10 runs per over. Meanwhile, RCB have 2 gun quicks, Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who can keep the run-scoring down. Even Romario Shepherd bowled well in Raipur in the last game. RCB will have an advantage here.
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