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At the end of their group fixtures in IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) has another injury issue. Jacob Bethell is not playing tonight against the Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH).
RCB is up against SRH for the 67th match of the ongoing Indian Premier League season at the Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad. At the toss, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar, who missed the previous game, informed that Jacob Bethell is not a part of their playing combination because of an injury issue.
Why is Jacob Bethell not playing tonight against the Sunrisers Hyderabad?
According to Rajat, the versatile overseas batter, who has played multiple matches for RCB as an opener in place of Phil Salt, has a finger injury. In place of Bethell, it is the skipper himself who joins the team. The rest of the playing eleven remains the same.
“Wherever we go, we feel like it’s a home game for us. It doesn’t matter where you are; you have to match your standards every game. You have to tick a lot of boxes. Bethell has a finger injury. I am back,” Rajat Patidar, the RCB captain, said at the toss.
Virat-Venkatesh likely to open vs SRH
For the opening slot, in place of Jacob Bethell, Venkatesh Iyer is likely to open the innings alongside Virat Kohli. Meanwhile, SRH won the toss and opted to bat first at their home ground.
The second innings will be interesting to see as RCB is set to start their batting phase with a new combination. Virat Kohli is in form, as well as Venkatesh Iyer. In their previous match, which was against the Punjab Kings, Venkatesh played an unbeaten 73-run knock, and Virat got 58. The combination of two in-form batters at the top of the batting order is looking exciting on paper. While Virat Kohli can provide a steady knock, Venkatesh Iyer can play an explosive knock inside the powerplay.
Venkatesh Iyer explains RCB’s strategy for tonight’s game
“We don’t really look at a particular number like that. We try to assess the pitch as quickly as possible and take it one over at a time. We also look at how we can create a good platform for the remaining players because if it’s their day, we know how devastating our number 5, 6, and 7 batters can be. So we never fixate on a particular total,” Venkatesh said ahead of the first over of the SRH vs RCB match, when he was asked to describe the team’s strategy.
As he mentioned, the match is important for the remaining players, because they are all set to play in the play-offs. Ahead of the play-offs, the IPL 2025 winners will try to confirm their main stays are in runs.
Read More: SRH vs RCB Impact Players Today: Toss Report, Playing XIs, Latest Updates IPL 2026 Match 67
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