Mohammed Siraj. KL Rahul. Yuzvendra Chahal. One by one, ex-RCB players have returned to Bengaluru in IPL 2025 and played a part in beating their former team. Now, the spotlight is on Rahul Dravid. The first RCB captain Rahul Dravid, now guiding Rajasthan Royals from the dugout, returns home bearing the responsibility of turning around a faltering campaign. RR have won only two out of eight games and are on a four-match losing streak.
Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid has emphasized the need to minimize mistakes as the team fights to stay in contention for the playoffs in IPL 2025. Despite suffering narrow defeats in recent matches, Rahul Dravid remains optimistic about their chances.
Rajasthan Royals Performance in IPL 2025
RR began IPL 2025 with a 44-run loss to SRH and an eight-wicket defeat to KKR. They bounced back with wins over CSK (by six runs) and PBKS (by 50 runs). However, a four-match losing streak followed, starting with a 58-run loss to GT, then a nine-wicket defeat to RCB at home.
Meanwhile, their last two losses were close: a Super Over loss to DC and a two-run defeat to LSG. They take on RCB next at Bengaluru (April 24).
Notably, Rahul Dravid’s comments come in the wake of two narrow defeats suffered by the Rajasthan Royals. The team fell short against Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, failing to chase nine runs in the final over on both occasions. These close games have underscored areas where the team can improve as they strive to stay competitive in IPL 2025.
It’s an important game for us- Rahul Dravid on RCB clash
Ahead of their clash against RCB, Rahul Dravid couldn’t help but address the ongoing narrative with a touch of humour.
“Do we have an RCB player from last time? Play him in the XI straightaway!” Rahul Dravid quipped with a laugh when speaking to the media on Wednesday.
Interestingly, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shimron Hetmyer – both of whom are part of RR’s XI throughout their matches this season – were once part of the RCB setup, with Hasaranga being their leading wicket-taker during their playoff run in 2022.
Dravid quickly steered the conversation towards the cricket at hand, dismissing any extra emotional weight to the Bengaluru homecoming. “No, not at all, man. I don’t think about it like that, to be very honest. Just trying to play a good game of cricket,” he said.
RR’s campaign, he admitted, has been tough. Despite flashes of quality, they’ve let close games slip through their fingers, most notably needing just nine runs in the final over against both Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, only to lose the first in a Super Over and the second by two runs.
“We know we have to play well to be still alive in this tournament,” Rahul Dravid said.
“I know we’ve lost a couple of close games coming into this, but we’ve played some good cricket as well. It’s one of those tournaments where a few balls going here or there and we might have been in a slightly different position, but you need to play well in those critical moments.”
The pitches at the Chinnaswamy Stadium have proved challenging for batters so far this season. RCB have made first-innings scores of 169 for 8, 163 for 7, and 95 for 9 in a 14-over game in their home games and lost every time.
“You just have to go for it irrespective and that’s a given,” Rahul Dravid said when asked about how to approach batting on such surfaces.
“But I think every surface will be different. The last one, I was just having a chat with the groundsman, it was under covers for a really long period of time, so it was probably not a good one to judge it on,”
“The wicket I’m seeing here, from at least what I can make of it, looks a really good wicket, so I can’t really say how those wickets looked in earlier games. But the track that’s been produced for this one looks actually to be a very good cricket wicket and I think it should be a pretty high-scoring game.
“Like I said earlier, it’s a very important game for us. Every game from here on, the position we find ourselves in, we can’t afford to make many mistakes. We’ve got to start climbing that table quickly and we’ve got to start winning games quickly, there’s no options, no chances of slipping up anymore.”
RR take on RCB next at Bengaluru (April 24) and Rahul Dravid believes that RCBs beaten run at home remains intact vs them too.