Lucknow, May 23 (UNI) Wicketkeeper-batsman Jitesh Sharma made his captaincy debut for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) as they won the toss and elected to field first against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) in an IPL match here on Friday, with a top-two finish firmly in sight.

Taking the reins in a crucial clash, Jitesh exuded calm and clarity in his approach. "It's my first time captaining RCB. I captained PBKS against SRH last year,” he said at the toss.

“We are thinking to bowl first, want to take most of the surface from the moisture. We are looking forward to finish the league on top of the table and enter the playoffs. The management has taken care of the players. We have a good atmosphere and culture. We want to win every game and win the cup."

RCB made a single change to their playing XI, with Mayank Agarwal coming in for Devdutt Padikkal. Rajat Patidar has been named the impact player.

SRH skipper Pat Cummins said his team was continuing to focus on growth and consistency.

"We have shown some good signs in the last few games. We are building our team for the next season. We need to play more consistently. We need to be at our best," he remarked.

Citing their successful 200-run chase in the last game, Cummins added, "I have been bowling with Mohammad Shami and preparing for upcoming Test cricket." On the pitch conditions, he said, "We would have bowled, not sure how it will play."

SRH made three changes to their lineup, bringing back Travis Head, Abhinav Manohar, and Jaydev Unadkat.

Teams:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Mayank Agarawal, Jitesh Sharma(w/c), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal, Lungi Ngidi, Suyash Sharma

Impact Subs: Rajat Patidar, Rasikh Dar Salam, Jacob Bethell, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh

Sunrisers Hyderabad (Playing XI): Abhishek Sharma, Travis Head, Ishan Kishan(w), Nitish Kumar Reddy, Heinrich Klaasen, Aniket Verma, Abhinav Manohar, Pat Cummins(c), Harshal Patel, Jaydev Unadkat, Eshan Malinga

Impact Subs: Mohammad Shami, Harsh Dubey, Sachin Baby, Zeeshan Ansari, Simarjeet Singh.

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