Virat Kohli Opening Partner: Venkatesh Iyer or Jacob Bethell — Who Will Take Crease With King Kohli In GT vs RCB In Today’s IPL 2026 Match

Virat Kohli Opening Partner: Since Phil Salt’s injury, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had only a solitary struggle, and that is the opening slot alongside Virat Kohli. Phil Salt played a huge role in RCB winning their first IPL title in the previous season. However, since his injury, the defending champions have had a struggle with Jacob Bethell not living up to his potential. The left-handed batter has scored only 34 runs in the two innings he has played in the season. Meanwhile, Virat Kohli, who has been in incredible form this season, is in dire need of a strong opening partner. So will the RCB management continue with Bethell, or will the defending champions play bold off the field as well and pick Venkatesh Iyer? Let’s find out. 

GT vs RCB: Is Jacob Bethell set to be dropped?

Jacob Bethell, in spite of all the talent he possesses, has failed to leave an impact on the Indian Premier League. The left-handed batter played a couple of games in both IPL 2025 and 2026. In four innings, he has managed to score 101 runs with only a single half-century in the previous year. Averaging a meagre 25.25, Bethell has struggled with consistency in only four games. He strikes at 168.33, having failed to light up the IPL. Meanwhile, Phil Salt, in his pomp, would win games single-handedly for the team. The league and the competition are so stiff that Bethell could find himself dropped after only a couple of failures. 

IPL 2026: How will RCB shape up against GT if they drop Jacob Bethell?

Royal Challengers Bengaluru could make a couple of changes as they face the Gujarat Titans. While it is an age-old saying that one should not make changes to the winning combination, RCB could look at their bench and test the strength of the players missing out on the playing XI. Venkatesh Iyer, who was bought for ₹7 crores by the defending champions, has played only a single game where he was called upon as an impact sub after a flurry of wickets against RR. If Venkatesh comes back in the playing XI in place of Bethell, RCB will have another overseas slot open. That slot could be taken by Jacob Duffy, who had impressed in the earlier part of the season. 

RCB predicted playing XI: Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Jacob Duffy, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma; Impact Sub: Venkatesh Iyer

GT vs RCB: How has Venkatesh Iyer performed in IPL as an opening batter?

Venkatesh Iyer in past has opened the innings for Kolkata Knight Riders. The left-handed batter has played 22 innings while opening the innings. In those games, Iyer scored 556 runs, averaging 27.8 while striking at 122.19. He batted at number three as well, where the left-hander scored 562 runs in 15 innings, averaging more than 43 and boasting an impressive strike rate of 168.76. If he makes it to the playing XI, then Venkatesh could slot in as opener, given his top performances while playing at the top of the order. 

Also Read: GT vs RCB Injury News: Will Phil Salt and Prasidh Krishna Play Tonight? Big Update Ahead Of IPL 2026 Match