In Lucknow, on May 23, Royal Challengers Bengaluru's stand-in captain Jitesh Sharma won the toss and chose to bowl first against Sunrisers Hyderabad during the 18th season of the Indian Premier League (IPL).

RCB aims to surpass Gujarat Titans and secure the top position in the standings, enhancing their chances of finishing in the top two. Meanwhile, Sunrisers Hyderabad, already eliminated from playoff contention, seeks to conclude their season positively. Earlier this week, they eliminated Lucknow Super Giants from the top-four race and could hinder Bengaluru's momentum ahead of the playoffs.

With regular captain Rajat Patidar sidelined due to injury, Jitesh Sharma has taken on the leadership role. Mayank Agarwal has replaced Devdutt Padikkal, who is also out of the tournament due to injury.

After the toss, Jitesh Sharma confirmed that Patidar would serve as an impact substitute, stating, “This is my first time captaining RCB. I previously led PBKS against SRH last year. We plan to bowl first to utilize the moisture on the pitch. Our goal is to finish at the top of the table and secure a playoff spot. The management has supported us well, fostering a positive atmosphere. We aim to win every match and ultimately the cup. Rajat Patidar is our impact player, and Mayank is in for Padikkal.”

Sunrisers Hyderabad's captain Pat Cummins remarked during the toss, “We’ve shown promising signs in recent matches. We are building for next season and need to maintain consistency. In our last game, we successfully chased down 200 runs. I’ve been preparing for upcoming Test matches alongside Shami. We would have opted to bowl, but we’re unsure how the pitch will behave. We’ve made three changes: Travis Head returns, along with Abhinav Manohar and Unadkat.”

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

Impact Subs for RCB: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar, Salam Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh

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

Impact Subs for SRH: Mohammad Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh.