S Gopal IPL 2021: Why is Jaydev Unadkat not playing today’s IPL 2021 match vs RCB?

Jaydev Unadkat not playing: Rajasthan Royals have made a solitary change to their Playing XI for their fourth IPL 2021 match.

During the 16th match of the ongoing 14th season of the Indian Premier League between Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals in Mumbai, Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli has won the toss and chose to field.

“Going to bowl. Have seen results here whether there’s dew or not. Still continues to be a high scoring ground. Last night we saw even if you lose early wickets, just one partnership and you’re never far in the game. Been batting well as a group. Confident we can chase anything down.

“At the same time we’re bowling well as well. Just want to get into this pitch and conditions with the new ball and try and exploit whatever we can. Very exciting for me as a batsman but the bowlers will have to adjust. Good thing is we have bowlers with height who can swing the new ball. Will look to make the most of that new ball,” Kohli told Star Sports at the toss.

Talking about the changes made to their Playing XI, Kohli revealed that they have included an extra fast bowler in the form of Kane Richardson who has replaced batsman Rajat Patidar.

Why is Jaydev Unadkat not playing vs RCB?

Slated to bat for the first time this season, Rajasthan Royals captain Sanju Samson considered the same to be a “good experience” for his batsmen and called for the need to play “good cricket”.

“Will be a good experience for the batsmen to bat first. Saw the last game it can get tight in the end. It’s evenly balanced, we just need to play some good cricket. It’s all about playing with the heart. Ups and downs are going to happen in IPL. Important to trust yourself and trust your teammates,” Samson told Star Sports at the toss.

Much like Bangalore, Rajasthan have also made a change to their Playing XI as spinner Shreyas Gopal has been included for fast bowler Jaydev Unadkat. Having won the ‘Man of the Match’ award for his bowling figures of 4-0-15-3, Unadkat has been dropped after just one bad game where he leaked 40 runs in his four overs.

Gopal, on the other hand, has done well for Royals since IPL 2018. In six matches against Royal Challengers, Gopal has picked 14 wickets at an average of 8.64, an economy rate of 5.76 and a strike rate of 9.