It was the first away game for defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru, or RCB as we fondly call them, and they were given a wake-up call. In a clash between two unbeaten teams in Guwahati, RCB was the one who lost the momentum and initiative to go down to Rajasthan Royals or RR as we call them, as the home team went to 4 wins in 4 games. RCB now have 2 wins in 3 games. RCB had their moments, but there were areas where they fell short, and we will highlight those areas as to how they lost this game to RR.
Losing wickets in clusters through the course of the innings hurt RCB
RCB were put into bat by RR after the match was delayed due to rain by an hour and 10 minutes, but thanks to the grace period, we did not lose any overs. Phil Salt was prized out off the first ball of the match as Jofra Archer got him off a beautiful, well-directed short delivery. But despite that setback, RCB were ultra-aggressive and came out all guns blazing. Virat Kohli survived a few nervous moments before playing some delightful drives, while Devdutt Padikkal was also on the move.
The problem with this approach was that they could not sustain it longer and lost wickets in clusters. Padikkal fell to Archer as he was caught in the deep while Kohli was cleaned up by Ravi Bishnoi inside the power play. Krunal Pandya fell soon after the power play to Bishnoi, while Jitesh Sharma too did not last long. Tim David played his shots, but he too fell while Romario Shepherd came and did his bit before falling as RCB were reduced to 125/7 in 14 overs, which forced RCB to introduce Impact Player Venkatesh Iyer.
Yes, Rajat Patidar played an outstanding captain’s knock with a half-century, and Venkatesh provided the finishing kick, but the damage was done as RCB did well to get to 200, which was just about par, and it proved inadequate. RCB still went for the runs, but lost wickets, which hampered their progress. This is something they will need to fix and avoid going forward. Suyash Sharma could not be brought in due to this regular fall of wickets later on. This is something they need to be mindful of going forward.
Inability to stop Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s storm sealed the fate of RCBÂ
RCB still had more than a decent score on the board, provided they got early wickets to put pressure on RR. While they got rid of Yashasvi Jaiswal cheaply inside two overs, they did not imagine what was to follow next. Vaibhav Sooryavanshi dazzled yet again under the Guwahati lights and put on a show for the ages. It did not matter who bowled to him. Whether it was Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, or Abhinandan Singh initially, there was only one treatment reserved for them: smashing the bowler to pieces.
Vaibhav, with nothing to lose and everything to gain, just smashed the RCB bowlers to all parts to show what he is made of. He was ably supported by Dhruv Jurel, who played his part to maturity and stayed till the end. But it was Vaibhav who took the game away from RCB. 20-odd runs in an over became a regular feature as RR raced away to 97 for the loss of one wicket in 6 powerplay overs. The duo of Vaibhav and Jurel added 108 runs off 37 balls to change the game totally. The score went from 21 in 2 overs to 129 in 8 overs, and the game was as good as over.
RCB missed their lines and lengths and showed their weakness in bowling, but they could only do much as Vaibhav was just too hot to handle. Yes, Vaibhav fell for 78 off 26 balls, making the best use of Impact Player and was disappointed when he got out, but the damage was done. There was a mini good phase for RCB when Shimron Hetmyer and captain Riyan Parag fell cheaply. But Jurel was there to guide the side home alongside a mature knock also from Ravindra Jadeja.
RCB needs to find better strategies and be more incisive in their bowling, because batting every time won’t get 200+ runs. RCB have conceded over 200 in all three games so far, which is a tad worrying, but also shows they have played on belters. Ahead of their game against MI, they need to sort out their bowling; otherwise, MI will smash them all parts of the ground.
Questionable Tactics from Rajat Patidar pegged RCB back
Rajat Patidar had a great day as a batter, as his 63 runs helped RCB recover and post above 200 from a hopeless position. But as captain, he made some grave errors, which helped RR even more. For instance, RCB started with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the returning Josh Hazlewood, which was the right way to go about things. But not giving Bhuvneshwar, who relies on swing, the second over in the power play was bizarre. It allowed RR batters, especially Vaibhav, to smash Abhinandan totally to give momentum to the batting side.
Bhuvneshwar was brought back later on, but the batters were set, and bowlers do not have rhythm if they bowl one-over spells from different ends. Another important thing to note was that Vaibhav was smashing the pacers to all parts, as we mentioned, no one was spared. But Rajat missed the trick at that moment. He could have used spin inside the power play just to ask Vaibhav some more questions, as he was playing pace so well. Whether that would have worked or not is an altogether different matter, but at least trying it could have helped RCB to do better.
Leaving out Jacob Duffy was a wrong call, even with Hazlewood fit and playing, because Duffy was in good form and was bowling really well in the power play. RCB could have readjusted their squad and left out Romario Shepherd to fit in both Hazlewood and Duffy, and on a flat track, bowling needs to be strengthened, not the batting. Rajat had a good game as a batter, but as captain, he missed the bit and must be mindful of these errors in the coming games.
What Lies Ahead
RR will have three away games coming up next. The first of those takes place on Monday, 13th April, 2026, against SRH in Hyderabad. There is no rest for RCB, though, as they will take the long flight from Guwahati to Mumbai, as on Super Sunday evening game, the RCB team faces 5-time champions Mumbai Indians on 12th April, 2026. We have a double-header before that as well on Super Saturday. First-up its, PBKS taking on SRH live from New Chandigarh in Mullanpur at 3:30 PM IST later today. This will be followed by struggling CSK hosting DC in Chennai at 7:30 PM IST.
So, double the fun over the weekends as IPL 2026 heats up as we go along this huge tournament. Big game for CSK later tonight, to give their fans something to cheer about.
Also Read: RR vs RCB: Vaibhav Sooryavanshi’s Fiery Knock Wallops RCB