Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) will take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in Match 42 of the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru on Thursday, April 24.
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Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Preview
One team is refining its rhythm, the other is still searching for the right formula. One can’t seem to win at home, while the other can’t seem to win at all.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) remain winless at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in IPL 2025—a puzzling flaw in what’s otherwise been a solid campaign. They’ve been flawless on the road and are firmly placed in the top four, but the inability to secure a home victory is a concern, especially with two of their next three matches, including Thursday’s clash against Rajasthan Royals (RR), set to take place in Bengaluru.
While RCB’s home woes persist, their unbeaten record away from Bengaluru is a testament to a settled unit with defined roles and growing confidence. They know it’s time to reward their home fans with victories.
Rajat Patidar turned to the dugout and offered a wry smile—yet again, luck had deserted him at the toss. It was the third consecutive time he’d lost it at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, along with another opportunity to set the terms at a ground that has rewritten its own narrative this season. “I want to win a toss there,” he quipped in Mullanpur, after helping RCB extend their perfect away run to five games.
But that remark wasn’t made in jest. Bengaluru’s pitches have defied expectations in IPL 2025. Once regarded as batting paradises, they’ve now become unpredictable and punishing. Cross-batted shots, once a staple here, are being met with sharp dismissals, and the surfaces now reward patience and precise shot selection over blind aggression. This shift has completely upended the match dynamics. RCB, having been asked to bat first in every home fixture so far, have had to post competitive totals without a clear sense of what “par” even looks like. As a result, they’ve often taken early risks that have backfired, and their usually dominant top-order has struggled to find fluency in unfamiliar conditions.
In this backdrop, Virat Kohli’s comments at the Mullanpur presentation ceremony offered more than just tactical insight. “I can accelerate, but I want to understand the strengths of other players. Holding one end up at the moment, that’s working for us,” he said. His words underlined a growing awareness of team balance—and perhaps, a subtle shift in his own approach. With Bengaluru’s pitches demanding more caution than flair, Kohli may be edging back toward the anchor role he’s tried to evolve beyond in the T20 format. Not out of reluctance, but as a strategic necessity—to ensure RCB aren’t out of the contest by the end of the PowerPlay.
RCB’s season has been a story of contrasts—especially when it comes to spin. At home, their spinners have toiled without reward, managing just one wicket across 15 overs at a staggering average of 144 and an economy of 9.6. But the moment they hit the road, it’s a different picture: 15 wickets at 35.1, and a far more respectable economy of 8.5.
Virat Kohli has been the linchpin in their away success. His unbeaten half-centuries in each of RCB’s three successful chases have reaffirmed his title as one of T20’s finest pursuit artists. And it’s not just the chases—RCB have been tactically sharp with the ball too, boasting the best economy rate in the powerplay this season, keeping opposition openers in check with an average rate of under eight runs per over.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be wary of an odd trend heading into their clash with Rajasthan Royals: they’ve lost each of their last four night games against RR. Flip the script to daytime fixtures, though, and it’s a different story—RCB have come out on top in the last five encounters held earlier in the day.
Fortunately for RCB, RR arrive at a low ebb. The Royals are reeling from a four-game losing streak, including two gut-wrenching defeats where they failed to score nine runs in the final over—against Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants. To make matters worse, they are without regular skipper Sanju Samson. Stand-in captain Riyan Parag, despite his impressive run last season, hasn’t quite found his rhythm this year.
For Royal Challengers Bengaluru, there’s a growing sense that they’re simply too strong a side this season to let their home struggles persist much longer. Optimism surrounds their upcoming fixture as they prepare to welcome a Rajasthan Royals team that’s stumbling through a worrying downturn. With four consecutive defeats—two of them heartbreakingly close in the final over—the Royals are a side visibly shaken, their campaign teetering.
A lack of cohesion in their playing XI has left them scrambling for answers, with no easy solutions in sight. What they might need now, paradoxically, is the fearless spirit shown by 14-year-old debutant Vaibhav Suryavanshi in their previous outing—uninhibited, bold, and refreshingly unencumbered by context.
While RCB may need a touch of restraint and tactical clarity to master the unpredictable Chinnaswamy surface, Rajasthan’s best hope could lie in embracing chaos—swinging hard, taking risks, and trusting the game to unfold in their favor. They’ll be hoping that the pitch in Bengaluru still has one final twist in store. The challenge? Making sure they’re the ones to land the blow if it does.
For Rajasthan Royals, the pressure is mounting—especially at the death. Their economy rate of 12.5 in the final four overs is the second-worst in the league. Much of their powerplay success with the ball has hinged on one man: Jofra Archer. He’s delivered six wickets in 17 overs at a steady economy of 8.2, while the rest of the bowling unit has managed just three wickets in 31 overs.
On the batting front, there’s finally some light. After a slow start—scoring just 34 runs in his first three outings—Yashasvi Jaiswal has found his groove, hammering four explosive half-centuries in his last five games. He now stands as RR’s best hope to inject early momentum and help arrest their slide.
One player who hasn’t lived up to his billing for the Royals this season is Shimron Hetmyer. Retained with high expectations as a proven finisher, Hetmyer has managed just 115 runs across eight innings, often failing to provide the late-over fireworks RR rely on him for.
And then there’s the intriguing subplot involving Virat Kohli and Sandeep Sharma. The RR pacer has dismissed Kohli seven times in T20s—a rare record against one of the game’s greats. Their most recent face-off in Jaipur added another layer to that rivalry, when Kohli was dropped off the very first ball of Sandeep’s spell, a miss that could’ve swung the game early.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Recent Form
Royal Challengers Bengaluru WLWLW (Last five matches, most recent first)
Rajasthan Royals LLLLW
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Head-to-Head
RCB lead the head-to-head 16-14, having clinched the reverse fixture in Jaipur just a week ago with a commanding display.
- Matches Played: 33
- Won by Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 16
- Won by Rajasthan Royals: 14
- Tied: 0
- No Result: 3
- First-ever Fixture: April 26, 2008
- Most-recent Fixture: April 13, 2025
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Pitch Report and Weather Conditions
The weather in Bengaluru has stabilized, with clear skies and intense sunlight dominating in recent days. In preparation, the ground staff has kept the Chinnaswamy pitch under wraps, layering it with hessian to preserve its condition. The surface this season has echoed the 2017 edition, when slow tracks and low-scoring contests followed a major drainage renovation. Both teams come into the game well-versed with the ground’s behavior, and Rajasthan Royals benefit from the insights of head coach Rahul Dravid, who has an intimate understanding of this venue. It all boils down to who can interpret the conditions more astutely.
While recent rain has made way for favorable playing weather, the pitch is still expected to test the batters’ temperament. Yet, Dravid believes the surface could be conducive to high-scoring action. With chasing typically being the preferred strategy here, captains are likely to opt for bowling first without hesitation.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Team News and Predicted XI
Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Team News
RCB are expected to stick with their current lineup unless there are any last-minute injuries or concerns. Rajasthan Royals’ PowerPlay bowling has been inconsistent: Jofra Archer has been a standout, taking six wickets while maintaining an economy rate of under eight per over.
In contrast, the rest of the bowlers have only managed two wickets in total, conceding at an economy of 9.10. Given the conditions at Chinnaswamy, RCB will need to approach their batting with careful consideration, choosing their targets wisely and timing their attacks effectively.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru – Predicted XI
- Phil Salt
- Virat Kohli
- Devdutt Padikkal
- Rajat Patidar (capt)
- Jitesh Sharma (wk)
- Romario Shepherd
- Tim David
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Josh Hazlewood
- Yash Dayal
- Suyash Sharma
Rajasthan Royals – Team News
Sanju Samson is staying back in Jaipur to recover from a side injury that kept him out of the last game and has prevented him from travelling to Bengaluru.
Sandeep Sharma has struggled in his recent outings, including conceding 19 runs in a pivotal final over against DC and giving up 55 runs in four overs against LSG. If RR decide to look beyond him, Akash Madhwal is available as a potential replacement.
The Chinnaswamy has seen the most PowerPlay wickets fall this season, with 15 in three games. Despite this, the Royals have excelled in this phase, losing the fewest wickets (7) and averaging a solid 69.85, second only to Gujarat Titans. Their run rate of 10.18 is only outdone by Punjab Kings, which makes them dangerous during these initial overs.
Given the conditions, RR might consider swapping an extra spinner for a pacer. Kwena Maphaka had an extended practice session ahead of the match and, like Fazalhaq Farooqi, could bring a left-arm angle to challenge RCB’s right-handed batsmen.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Players To Watch Out For
Phil Salt (Royal Challengers Bengaluru)
The last time Jofra Archer and Phil Salt faced off in Jaipur, it was a fiery contest. Archer set a sharp, relentless trap, and Salt, always the aggressor, fell into it more than once, taking Archer on.
Since then, Salt has been dismissed in the first over twice by the short ball, both times by Arshdeep Singh. As their next encounter with Archer approaches, the question remains: will Salt back his attacking instincts, despite those two setbacks against Arshdeep?
Riyan Parag (Rajasthan Royals)
After returning from shoulder surgery and rehab, Riyan Parag hasn’t quite replicated the form he showed during his breakout IPL 2024 season. On top of that, captaincy duties in half of RR’s matches this year have added extra pressure. His 39 against Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) almost guided RR to victory, but his dismissal with 19 runs needed off 12 balls turned out to be a costly mistake in a heartbreaking loss.
With just six games left and playoff hopes hanging by a thread, Parag needs to rediscover his spark—not only for his own sake but for a team desperately in need of a boost.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals: Prediction
Scenario 1
- Toss: Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the toss and bowl
- Powerplay Score: 55-65
- Rajasthan Royals Total: 180-190
- Match Result: Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the match
Scenario 2
- Toss: Rajasthan Royals win the toss and bowl
- Powerplay Score: 55-65
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Total: 170-180
- Match Result: Rajasthan Royals win the match
When and Where To Watch Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals LIVE? Broadcast and Streaming Details
The Indian Premier League 2025 clash between Royal Challengers Bengaluru and Rajasthan Royals is set to begin at 7:30 PM IST on Thursday, April 24, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The match will be broadcast live on the Star Sports network and will also be available for live streaming on JioHotstar for FREE.
FAQs
What is the head-to-head record between Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR)?
RCB leads the head-to-head with 16 wins, while RR has won 14 times.
Why has Riyan Parag struggled since his return from injury?
Parag has faced challenges finding his form after shoulder surgery and has been burdened with captaincy duties, which have added pressure to his performance.
What impact has the Chinnaswamy pitch had on RCB’s home games in IPL 2025?
The pitch has been unpredictable, rewarding patience and precise shot selection rather than aggressive batting, making RCB’s home form a concern.
Who are the key performers for Rajasthan Royals in the PowerPlay?
RR has thrived in the PowerPlay, with Yashasvi Jaiswal leading the charge and Jofra Archer providing key wickets.
How has Virat Kohli performed for RCB in IPL 2025?
Kohli has been instrumental in RCB’s away success, scoring unbeaten half-centuries in successful chases and providing stability at the crease.
