Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

Pat Cummins: We have shown some good signs in the last few games. We are building our team for the next season. We need to play more consistently.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won the toss and have opted to field

Jitesh Sharma: It's my first time captaining RCB. I captained PBKS against SRH last year.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru have won the toss and have opted to field

Patidar isn't leading the team today. Might play as impact player probably.. It's toss time as Jitesh Sharma is out in the middle alongside Pat Cummins..

Dinesh Karthik | RCB batting coach & mentor: I think midway through this tournament is to achieve the top two, these are two important games for us, we will try to get into the top two if possible. It has been a welcome change, the boys are fresh, ready to go, in between a tournament like this with this kind of intensity, it can get tiring especially at the backend of the tournament, this break has come so we embrace it with both hands. Rajat has had his time to recover, it’s a big positive, on the other hand, we lost Dev (Padikkal) but he couldn’t be fit, we miss him but we got Mayank and he is a talent, he has been there in the tournament since many years so looking forward to see him in action. (On 7 different players getting MOM award for them) Very proud of that (record), it’s great when you have different people stepping up at different times. (On Virat’s announcement from Test cricket) It came as a shock top the outside world, so we just observing what Virat is up to, he is at his happiest best now, he is enjoying the sport, he is really wanting to his time with his family. It’s a personal decision, we respect it and as everyone else, oh this is happening but the fact is it’s great to see him happy and ready whenever we want him to play. The key is to keep him in good spirits.

Update: Travis Head looks fit and we will be a part of today's fixture. Can see him out in the middle having a hit in the nets...

Pitch report: We are on pitch no. 4 in Lucknow. The square boundaries are 60m and 67m respectively, 74m down the ground. The surface is quite dark in colour. There's a decent matting of grass on it, patchy in places. It's very dry, hence the ball will grip in the surface. Spinners will enjoying bowling here. The pacers can take pace off the ball and expect it to hold in the surface, they might get some assistance. Teams love chasing here, so need to get 180-plus if you bat here. The bias is on batting second and chase. It's a wicket where you can't play through the line. The opposition might make some mistakes if they go through hard at the top. A pitch where 180-odd is a gettable total.

18:30 Local Time, 13:00 GMT, 18:30 IST: Hello and welcome to our live coverage of the 65th clash of IPL 2025 folks! The venue for this fixture was the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru initially, however, due to inclement weather down south, it got shifted to the Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. Today, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will lock horns with the runner’s up of IPL 2024 - Sunrisers Hyderabad. It has been a disappointing performance by the Orange Army this season, and with Travis Head’s unavailability they don’t look a solid side on paper. On the other hand, RCB are riding high on confidence this season as most of the things have gone right for them, barring a few hiccups at their home ground in Bangalore. But they can’t afford to be complacent towards the business end of the tournament. A win tonight will help them maintain the momentum with the playoffs approaching soon. They would want to finish in the top 2 teams. Will they? We shall find out soon. Stay around for the toss and teams..

Preview

The first set of IPL 2025 challenges is done and dusted. The playoff contenders are locked in; the eliminated sides have been cast aside. Now begins the next phase, a jostle for the top two spots. Royal Challengers Bengaluru, among the strongest contenders, head into their penultimate league game with that in mind. The catch? They haven't taken the field in nearly 20 days.

They'll have to shake off the rust against a Sunrisers Hyderabad side that has imploded more often than they'd have liked. Yet, even in a season where little has clicked, SRH have shown flashes, beating some of the tournament's top teams on their day. With four wins from 12 games, they have little left to play for, except pride, and maybe two more consolation victories to sign off.

The Ekana Stadium, a late replacement for this fixture after persistent rain threats in Bengaluru, has served up a mixed bag. When SRH last played here, they chased down a 200-plus total with ease. But typically, Lucknow has dished out slow, low-bounce surfaces that produce middling scores, not quite the ideal setting for two batting-heavy sides who last year played out a 287 vs 262 slugfest. Still, this unfamiliar ground could offer a different kind of contest, slower, tighter, and potentially, more intriguing.

When: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, Friday, May 23, 7:30 PM IST

Where: Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium, Lucknow

What to expect: Usually, the surfaces in Lucknow have aided the slower bowlers and the batters have had to adjust to the slowish surfaces. Neither team boasts of a strong spin attack or one suited for slower surfaces.

Head to head: RCB 11-13 SRH. The last five games between these sides have been edged 3-2 by RCB.

Team Watch:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Injuries/Unavailability: Rajat Patidar is likely to be available for the clash after having sustained a hand injury before the break.

Tactics & Matchups: In the absence of Josh Hazlewood, the mantle of leading RCB's impressive bowling attack will have to be borne by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He'll be up against a team he represented for 11 years until 2024. Bhuvneshwar already has one wicket (12) more than his tally from last season, despite playing six fewer games.

Probable XII: Virat Kohli, Phil Salt, Jacob Bethell, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Rasikh Salam, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma

Sunrisers Hyderabad

Injuries/Unavailability: Travis Head tested positive for COVID-19 ahead of the game against LSG. His availability for the clash against RCB remains uncertain

Tactics & Matchups: Even though he has played only 5 games so far, Eshan Malinga is SRH's third highest wicket taker behind Harshal (15) and Cummins (13) and only Jaydev Unadkat boasts a better strike-rate. Five of the slinger's nine wickets have come with the fuller length delivery.

Probable XII: Atharva Taide, Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan (wk), Heinrich Klaasen, Kamindu Mendis, Aniket Verma, Nitish Reddy, Pat Cummins, Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga

Did you know?

- RCB are unbeaten in six away games this season, although this is statistically a home game for them.

- SRH have conceded 19 200+ scores since 2022 - the most for any time.

- Three of the five players with most sixes since the start of IPL 2024 - Virat Kohli (56), Heinrich Klaasen (52) and Abhishek Sharma (65) - will be in action tomorrow.

What they said:

"We have got a good record away. We have been able to flex for the away conditions really well, so I am backing our players to do that again tomorrow. So, we are okay playing here in Lucknow." - Andy Flower

Squads:

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

Sunrisers Hyderabad Squad: Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Kamindu Mendis, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Harsh Dubey, Zeeshan Ansari, Eshan Malinga, Mohammed Shami, Atharva Taide, Sachin Baby, Abhinav Manohar, Simarjeet Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Travis Head, Wiaan Mulder, Rahul Chahar, Smaran Ravichandran