IPL 2025: RR look to rediscover form while RCB aim to end Chinnaswamy voodoo

Bengaluru, April 23 (IANS) The Royal Challengers Bengaluru hope to get rid of their at-home troubles as they host Rajasthan Royals in match 42 of the Indian Premier League 2025 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday.

The Rajat Patidar-led side has been impeccable in the tournament and are currently third in the standings, tied with Punjab Kings and Lucknow Super Giants on 10 points. RCB have been dealt with three losses this season with all of them coming at home.

Interestingly, RCB have not gotten the opportunity to chase in front of their home crowd and are unbeaten this season when bowling first. They have a strong and experienced pace attack in Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar while the cool heads of Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma take charge of the spin department.

One of the strengths of their batting lineup has been the serious depth they possess. With Phil Salt and Virat Kohli proving their mettle as a dangerous opening pair, Devdutt Padikkal and Patidar complete what can be described as a complete top order with big hitters in Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma and Tim David firing on all cylinders.

The Royals, on the other hand, suffered a narrow nine-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants where they failed to score nine runs in the final over. Rajasthan, who seemed in control of their chase before both Yashasvi Jaiswal and Riyan Parag lost their wickets under pressure in the death overs. The team ultimately failed to chase down a modest target and slipped to their fourth straight defeat in IPL 2025.

With just two wins in eight matches, the Royals now sit eighth on the points table. Their campaign, which started with promise, is quickly slipping away due to repeated failures in close contests. Their loss against Delhi Capitals earlier in the week was also marked by poor decision-making in a chase, that could have been wrapped up comfortably.

These two sides met earlier this season, on April 13, at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium where the visitors had prevailed by nine wickets. Yashasvi Jaiswal’s 75 took the hosts to a respectable total of 175. In return, Phil Salt’s 65 runs followed by an unbeaten partnership by Kohli and Padikkal, took them past the finish line.

When: RCB vs RR will be played on Wednesday. The toss is scheduled for 7 PM IST, whereas the game will begin at 7:30.

Where: RCB vs RR will be played at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.

Where to watch: RCB vs RR will be broadcast on Star Sports Network and live-streamed on JioHotstar.

Squads:

Rajasthan Royals: Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Wanindu Hasaranga, Shubham Dubey, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kwena Maphaka, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Ashok Sharma, and Vaibhav Suryavanshi.

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh

--IANS

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