Raipur, May 13: Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and elected to bowl first against Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL 2026 clash at the Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Cricket Stadium in New Raipur on Wednesday.
The toss was delayed earlier due to a wet outfield following moisture concerns at the venue. Ground staff worked continuously to dry the affected areas before match officials cleared the field for play.
The contest carries major significance for RCB, who can climb to the top of the IPL 2026 points table with a victory over defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders.
RCB entered the match in strong form and decided to chase after assessing the pitch conditions following the delayed start. KKR, meanwhile, will look to put up a competitive total and keep their playoff hopes alive in the ongoing tournament.
The Raipur venue is serving as RCB’s temporary home ground for the season, with fans turning up in large numbers despite the weather-related delay.
Probable Playing XIs:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru:
Virat Kohli, Faf du Plessis, Rajat Patidar (c), Glenn Maxwell, Cameron Green, Dinesh Karthik (wk), Mahipal Lomror, Karn Sharma, Mohammed Siraj, Reece Topley, Yash Dayal
Kolkata Knight Riders:
Sunil Narine, Phil Salt (wk), Shreyas Iyer (c), Venkatesh Iyer, Andre Russell, Rinku Singh, Ramandeep Singh, Mitchell Starc, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakravarthy, Suyash Sharma
