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Peter Green - April 23, 2025
RCB had a strong performance at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in the reverse fixture, beating Rajasthan Royals by nine wickets with 15 balls left. However, they still have reasons to worry ahead of the home game against RR, as they haven’t won a single match at home this season.
On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals are struggling with form. They have now lost back-to-back games that were in their control. In both matches, they failed to finish well, losing momentum in the final three overs with poor batting. With the playoffs approaching, RR are in a must-win situation to keep their hopes alive in the tournament.
Royal Challengers Bangalore and Rajasthan Royals have faced each other 32 times in the Indian Premier League (IPL), with RCB winning 15 matches and RR securing 14 victories; three games ended with no result.
At RCB’s home ground, M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the teams have played nine matches. RR holds a slight advantage with four wins, while RCB has won two games; three matches had no result.
In the past five seasons, the rivalry has been closely contested. RCB dominated the 2023 season, winning both encounters, including a massive 112-run victory. However, RR bounced back in 2024, winning both matches against RCB.
Captain- Rajat Patidar
Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Liam Livingstone, Tim David, Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
Impact Player: Devdutt Padikkal
Captain- Sanju Samson
Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande
Impact Player: Kumar Kartikeya
Josh Hazlewood (RCB): Hazlewood has taken 12 wickets for RCB this season. He has been consistently picking up wickets in almost every match. In the reverse fixture, he dismissed Jaiswal, who had scored 75 runs.
Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR): Jaiswal has scored 260 runs in six matches against RCB. His latest performance was a strong 75 off 47 balls in the reverse fixture. He is in great form, with three 50+ scores in a row, including two back-to-back 70+ innings.
Sanju Samson (RR): Samson is expected to return after recovering from an injury. Before getting hurt, he was in good form during the match against Delhi. He has scored 224 runs in seven games this season, with an average of 37. He remains one of RR’s key batters to watch.
This is a must-win match for Rajasthan Royals, and they need a strong performance. While RR haven’t looked very solid lately, RCB’s poor home form might give them some hope and motivation.
RCB bowlers have been in good form, with at least one bowler taking 2+ wickets in two of their last three games. Meanwhile, no RR bowler is in the top 15 of the Purple Cap list this season.
Jaiswal has been RR’s most consistent batter recently. He’s looked sharp in the powerplay and has scored 50+ runs in three matches in a row, making him a key player for the Royals.
RCB have hit fewer than 10.5 sixes in their last three IPL games, including the previous match against RR. All their home games this season also followed this trend.
