IPL 2025 - Is Tim David Playing vs LSG? Fitness Update Inside on RCB’s Explosive Finisher 

Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) face a big challenge tonight as they gear up to face Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the 70th and final league game of the Indian Premier League 2025 (IPL 2025) at the Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Ekana Cricket Stadium in Lucknow. 

This match is crucial for RCB as a win would guarantee them a top-two finish, which means they would have two chances to reach the final.

However, there is uncertainty over the fitness of one of their main batters, Tim David. In the previous match against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH), David suffered a hamstring injury while chasing a boundary. He immediately signaled to the physio and had to leave the field.

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Tim David’s Fitness in Doubt: Will He Play vs LSG?

As David injured his hamstring while fielding on May 23, it is highly unlikely for him to be fully fit in such a short time span. Therefore, in all likelihood, the explosive finisher would not be available for the match versus LSG.

After the injury, he came out to bat at No. 8 against SRH and was visibly struggling. He could not even run and scored one off five deliveries.

This is a huge blow for RCB as David has been in red-hot form. He is someone who has performed in crunch moments, taking RCB above par scores with his hitting down the order.

In IPL 2025, the Aussie has smashed 187 runs at an average of 62.33 and a strike-rate of 185.14.

RCB can use Liam Livingstone or Tim Seifert as David’s replacement. While Livingstone has already featured in seven matches in IPL 2025, his poor form forced RCB to drop him. Seifert was named as Jacob Bethell’s replacement.

Jacob Bethell, Lungi Ngidi Leave for International Duties 

RCB’s worries have multifolded ahead of the playoffs. Apart from David’s injury, the franchise has also been hit with the unavailability of Bethell and Lungi Ngidi, who have left for international duties. 

While Bethell has been picked in the England squad for the ODI series versus the West Indies, Ngidi will be preparing for the World Test Championship (WTC) 2023-25 final between Australia and South Africa.

In the middle of all these worrying developments, positive news has emerged in the form of Josh Hazlewood, who has recovered from a shoulder niggle and is fit to make his comeback in the clash against LSG.

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