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Mayank Bande
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru will take on the Lucknow Super Giants in the final league match of the season on May 27.
In match 70 of the season, RCB will come into the clash with a golden opportunity to go to the top two on the points table with a win in this match. That will give them a spot in the first qualifier and two chances to reach the final, while LSG will play for pride after being eliminated earlier in the competition.
However, going into the all-important game, RCB might be without their explosive finisher Tim David, who had suffered a hamstring injury in the last match against SRH.
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It happened when David was attempting to save a boundary late in the innings, he immediately signalled for the physio and had to leave the field.
The RCB star continued to struggle when he came to bat during the chase as well. The team is unlikely to risk him ahead of the playoffs, making his availability doubtful against LSG. TSN takes a look at the players who can replace him for this match.
READ MORE: IPL 2025: Where to watch the LSG vs RCB?
David’s presence in the previous matches has been crucial for the Bengaluru-based franchise this season. He has looked imperious, scoring 187 runs in 9 innings while striking at a whopping 185.14 with a fifty to his name.
His strike rate of 185.14 is the highest among his teammates and nobody else in the tournament — batting below number 3 in the tournament has scored more runs than him at a better strike rate.
As they look to replace the finisher vs LSG, the following are the options RCB can look up to:
READ MORE: LSG vs RCB: Expected lineups, H2H, predictions, betting odds
Livingstone has not fired in the IPL 2025 as RCB would have hoped, and after a poor start with just 87 runs in six innings, he was pushed back to the bench.
The England international struck at a low 127.94 in the tournament, in a finishing role where he was expected to provide power-hitting.
Livingstone can bat at number five or six, depending on the situation, and assist Jitesh Sharma and Romario Shepherd at the back end of the innings. At the same time, he is a handy spin option as well.
Seifert recently joined the RCB squad as a replacement for Jacob Bethell, who has left for national team duties before the playoffs.
The Kiwi batter is not a natural finisher, but can be an explosive option in the top order. In this case, RCB will have to rely heavily on Jitesh and Shepherd to take on the finishers’ role in the absence of David.
Alternatively, RCB can also opt for Karnataka all-rounder Manoj Bhandage in place of Mayank Agarwal in the starting 11.
Bhandage is a proven finisher in the domestic circuit, and his inclusion would allow the team to play Seifert at No. 3 while keeping the rest of the combination intact.
With an in-form batter likely out, RCB will also look at their skipper, Rajat Patidar, who has been underwhelming so far in the season after battling with an injury himself.
MORE: How to buy IPL 2025 playoffs tickets?
Mayank Bande is a content producer for The Sporting News’ India edition.
