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     “I have a feeling” – R Ashwin predicts massive change in RCB playing XI for IPL 2026 match against GT 

    Gossip
    Runfyers
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    Former India cricketer Ravichandran Ashwin feels that the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) might drop Romario Shepherd from the playing XI to include either Jacob Bethell or Jacob Duffy, for the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 clash against the Gujarat Titans (GT). The defending champions will take on the Shubman Gill-led side on Friday, April 24, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

    RCB’s promising undefeated run at their home venue came to an abrupt end after a narrow loss to the Delhi Capitals (DC) in their last outing. All-rounder Romario Shepherd was under the scanner for his performance during the defeat as he conceded 17 runs off five balls in the last over, and recorded only one run off four deliveries with the bat.

    RCB have strong overseas candidates on the bench who are eagerly waiting for an opportunity. Jacob Duffy has picked six wickets in three matches in Josh Hazlewood’s absence in the early stages of the season. With the veteran Australian pacer bowling in full tilt, the prospect of unleashing him and Duffy together is a tempting one.

    “I have a feeling that Romario Shepherd won’t play. I have a feeling that they will go with Jacob Duffy, or a batter like Jacob Bethell. But RCB are looking quite strong, they have the batting, the bowling looks strong,” R Ashwin said on his YouTube channel.

    “I want to see how Rashid Khan bowls in this game, because the last two games have been slightly under Rashid’s standard. But in this game, RCB look very strong. So, I will go with RCB to win,” he added.

    RCB have an inferior record against GT at the Chinnaswamy, losing two out of three meetings, including the most recent one in IPL 2025.

    Romario Shepherd averages 19.50 and 45.33 with bat and ball, respectively, for RCB in IPL 2026

    The West Indies all-rounder has not been able to influence the game as the previous IPL season, with underwhelming returns with both bat and ball in the ongoing campaign.

    Romario Shepherd has scored only 39 runs off 25 deliveries in four innings at an average of 19.50 and a strike rate of 156.00, which is almost half of what he had produced last year. With the ball, he has picked up only three wickets, with an alarming economy rate of 15.11.