RCB captain Rajat Patidar has said that the Chinnaswamy tracks have been tricky this season but isn’t using that as an excuse for his team’s poor performance at home this season. RCB have had a memorable campaign so far as they have been unbeaten away from home, winning all the 5 matches so far. However, that hasn’t been the case at home. RCB skipper Rajat Patidar in his first season as skipper for RCB, has done a very commendable job.
RCB have lost 3 out of 3 at the Chinnaswamy stadium this season, and will be aiming to get their first win at home when they face Rajasthan Royals on April 24.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru are yet to win a match at home this season, and on the other hand, the franchise has won all five away matches. In their three defeats at Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru, the story has been the same: they lost the toss and were asked to bat first on tough pitches, lost early wickets, ended up with low scores, and then couldn’t defend those totals as dew made batting easier for the chasing team.
We will try to adapt to the situation & conditions- Rajat Patidar
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) skipper Rajat Patidar has admitted that their home ground, M Chinnaswamy Stadium, has presented them with ‘tricky and unpredictable’ wickets in IPL 2025 but said they are not going to use it as an ‘excuse’.
RCB have played three matches at home this season, losing all of them while winning the remaining five away matches against formidable opponents Kolkata Knight Riders, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings, and Punjab Kings. While the home stadium has always been a weakness for the Bengaluru-based franchise, this year, it has acted quite differently than usual, with hardly any typically flat tracks.
Liam Livingstone and Tim David are the only two RCB batters who managed to score a fifty in Bengaluru this season, whereas they’ve had nine scores of over 50. One of their main problem is that they have tried to attack too much too early in the powerplay on home pitches, which aren’t as easy to bat on as they used to be. At home, they lose a wicket every 12 balls in the powerplay. They show the same intent, but the results are very different.
Ahead of their upcoming clash against RR, Rajat Patidar admits their weakness that the bowlers are getting a lot of help during the first innings, and they have to make the right shot selection.
“We have not played good cricket in our home matches, and you have talked about the toss, it’s not in my hands, so let’s see,” Rajat Patidar said ahead of Thursday’s clash against the Royals at the ground.
“And this time, wickets are a bit tricky and unpredictable over here, but that is not an excuse. So, we’ll try to adapt to the situation and conditions as quickly as possible.”
There’s another layer to the trend: RCB are unbeaten while chasing in IPL 2025 but they haven’t bowled first yet at the Chinnaswamy.
“It is not that if you lose the toss, half the battle is lost because the toss is not in our control. But as a player, if you have to bat first, you would always try to do the best you can in such a situation and conditions. So, we are trying to focus more on that aspect and not on the toss,” Rajat Patidar said about the subject.
It’s then a good sign that RCB are still managing to be competitive and at third in the points table. Rajat Patidar attributed it to their ability to stay in the present.
“For us, I think it is about being in the present moment because, in this league, you have back-to-back matches. So, it’s important to learn from the past and learn from the errors. We don’t keep talking about the home matches that we have lost, and we focus on the present as much as possible, which is more important. We always try to do our best on that day,” said Patidar.
RCB are currently in Bengaluru, preparing for their fourth home clash of the tournament, where they will face Rajasthan Royals on April 24. RCB are currently fourth in the points table with five wins in eight matches, behind Mumbai Indians (MI), who bounced back into the top 3 after registering a dominating seven wicket win against Sunrisers Hyderabad (SRH) at Rajiv Gandhi International Stadium in Hyderabad.
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