{"id":4963,"date":"2026-04-24T12:53:18","date_gmt":"2026-04-24T12:53:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ashwin-suggests-rcb-xi-change-vs-gt-shepherd-could-be-dropped"},"modified":"2026-04-24T12:53:18","modified_gmt":"2026-04-24T12:53:18","slug":"ashwin-suggests-rcb-xi-change-vs-gt-shepherd-could-be-dropped","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/1win.za.com\/ipl\/ashwin-suggests-rcb-xi-change-vs-gt-shepherd-could-be-dropped","title":{"rendered":"Ashwin Suggests RCB XI Change vs GT: Shepherd Could Be Dropped"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru could make a decisive tweak to their XI for their last home match of the campaign at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. The opponents are Gujarat Titans, and Ashwin\u2019s hunch is that RCB may consider dropping Romario Shepherd, replacing him either with a specialist overseas batter or an overseas bowling option.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed to Jacob Duffy and Jacob Bethell as the most plausible candidates for the role, while noting that Bengaluru\u2019s overall balance still looks strong. Ashwin also referenced RCB\u2019s recent form\u2014an excellent start followed by a wobble\u2014suggesting the team might respond with a change to its combination.<\/p>\n<h3>Quick facts<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Ashwin expects RCB may not include Romario Shepherd in the XI vs Gujarat Titans.<\/li>\n<li>Possible replacements: Jacob Duffy (bowling option) or Jacob Bethell (overseas batter).<\/li>\n<li>RCB began the season with three straight wins, but have lost two of their last three matches.<\/li>\n<li>In the previous home outing, RCB lost to Delhi Capitals after Shepherd couldn\u2019t defend 15 runs in the final over.<\/li>\n<li>Ashwin wants to watch how Rashid Khan bowls, saying the previous two games were below his usual standard.<\/li>\n<li>Ashwin backed RCB to win against Gujarat Titans.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Speaking on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said he has a feeling Shepherd will miss out and that RCB could instead go with Duffy or a hitter such as Bethell. He added that Bengaluru\u2019s strength remains evident on both fronts, with their batting and bowling both giving reasons for confidence.<\/p>\n<p>RCB\u2019s most recent match at home ended in disappointment against Delhi Capitals. Shepherd was unable to hold his nerve in the last over, conceding enough to let the chase slip away, and the result left RCB searching for a response heading into the GT game.<\/p>\n<p>Despite that setback, Ashwin expects a bounce-back from Bengaluru. He highlighted Rashid Khan\u2019s impact, remarking that the last couple of matches have been slightly under the standard set by the Afghanistan leg-spinner, and suggesting that the contest could look different in this fixture.<\/p>\n<p>On the powerplay dynamics, RCB carry a clear edge over Gujarat Titans when batting. Their top order\u2014backed by Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal and captain Rajat Patidar\u2014has the ability to keep pressure on bowlers even when wickets tumble, creating sustained momentum early in innings.<\/p>\n<p>RCB\u2019s powerplay strike rate this season stands at 175, compared to GT\u2019s 135. The numbers also underline Bengaluru\u2019s six-hitting threat in the opening overs, with 34 maximums in the powerplay\u2014best among all teams\u2014while Gujarat Titans have managed just eight, the lowest in the league during that phase.<\/p>\n<h3>RCB Predicted XI vs GT (Ashwin\u2019s call)<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li>Virat Kohli<\/li>\n<li>Philip Salt<\/li>\n<li>Devdutt Padikkal<\/li>\n<li>Rajat Patidar (c)<\/li>\n<li>Jitesh Sharma (w)<\/li>\n<li>Tim David<\/li>\n<li>Krunal Pandya<\/li>\n<li>Bhuvneshwar Kumar<\/li>\n<li>Suyash Sharma<\/li>\n<li>Josh Hazlewood<\/li>\n<li>Rasikh Salam Dar<\/li>\n<li>Jacob Duffy \/ Jacob Bethell<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin believes Royal Challengers Bengaluru could make a decisive tweak to their XI for their last home match of the campaign&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":4962,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_yoast_wpseo_title":"RCB vs GT XI Update: Ashwin Hints Shepherd Drop in IPL","_yoast_wpseo_metadesc":"RCB vs GT: Ravichandran Ashwin predicts a key XI shift at Chinnaswamy, with Romario Shepherd possibly dropped and Duffy\/Bethell in the mix.","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4963","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-ipl"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>RCB vs GT XI Update: Ashwin Hints Shepherd Drop in IPL<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"RCB vs GT: Ravichandran Ashwin predicts a key XI shift at Chinnaswamy, with Romario Shepherd possibly dropped and Duffy\/Bethell in the mix.\" \/>\n<meta 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