Rajasthan Royals (RR) will be aiming for consistency as they take on Royal Challengers Bengaluru(RCB), who have been in stunning away form in IPL 2025. The Royals(RR) will hope to produce a top performance in their first game in Jaipur this season as Bengaluru(RCB) will look for another win.
The IPL’s arrival in Jaipur may be a bit delayed, but it couldn’t have come at a better time for Royal Challengers Bengaluru(RCB). A change of venue might offer some relief from a home ground that’s offered little of late. With two more losses added to their tally at the Chinnaswamy this season, the team now holds the unwanted record for most defeats at a single venue.
Hosts Rajasthan Royals (RR) have had a stop-start run too, with two wins on the bounce followed by a heavy hammering in their last outing. But maybe it’s not the worst thing that they haven’t started too well, given their recent habit of flying out of the blocks and then fading away. In IPL 2024, they won eight of their first nine games, only to lose four in a row before their final league match was washed out. The same pattern showed up in 2023: four wins in their first five, followed by just three in their next nine.
RR vs RCB : Previous Performances
The Royals started their campaign with two consecutive defeats. However, they bounced back with back-to-back wins against Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings. In their most recent fixture, the inaugural champions suffered a crushing 58-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. The Sanju Samson-led side would want to get back to winning ways on Sunday.
Rajasthan Royals have finally come home to the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur after playing a total of five matches in their IPL 2025 campaign. The Royals were calling Guwahati their home in the initial phase of the tournament and has struggled to find consistency so far in the season. After starting with two defeats, they found form with a thrilling win over CSK and then beating PBKS in Mullanpur. Just when everyone thought the Royals had turned a corner, the defeat to GT brought them back to reality.
Meanwhile, RCB are placed at No. 4 on the points table, having registered three wins and two defeats from five games. They are coming into this clash on the back of a six-wicket defeat at home against Delhi Capitals where their former player KL Rahul played a match-winning innings to help the visitors chase down a 164-run target with consummate ease.
For RCB, it has been a season of two polar opposites. While they have been sensational away from home, their exploits at the Chinnaswamy stadium have been underwhelming. Away from home, Bengaluru has secured wins against KKR at Eden Gardens, MI at Wankhede and finally breached fortress Chepauk with a massive win over CSK.
However, their loss to DC was a tough spill for RCB to swallow as they looked set for a big total before the unfortunate run-out of Phil Salt triggered a collapse of sorts. While the bowling away from home has been sensational, at home, things have been different.
RR vs RCB : Head to Head
In the 32 matches played between these two teams in the IPL, RCB lead the head-to-head stats 15-14 with 3 matches ending in a no-result. Last season, the Royals defeated Bengaluru in the league phase before ending their magical run in the 2024 season by beating them in the eliminator stage of the playoffs.
| Matches Played | 32 |
| Won by Rajasthan Royals | 14 |
| Won by Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 15 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 03 |
| First-ever Fixture | April 26, 2008 |
| Most-recent Fixture | April 06, 2024 |
RR vs RCB : Pitch and Weather Report
So far, 57 IPL games have been played at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur. This is going to be the first encounter played at the venue in IPL 2025. 20 matches have been won by teams batting first while chasing teams have emerged victorious in 37 instances. The average first-innings score is 162. The highest total is 217/6, and the lowest is 59 all out. Winning the toss and opting to bowl first would be the ideal choice at this venue.
The venue had the worst average and strike rate for pacers among all IPL grounds over the last two editions, but how the pitches behave this year remains to be seen. It’s expected to be a hot day in Jaipur, with temperatures touching 37 degrees in the evening. No rain is forecast. The average first-innings score across 10 matches in the last two seasons is 180. And the win-loss record is evenly split, with five wins each for teams batting first and second.
This is the first match at the Sawai Mansingh stadium this season and it is uncertain what can be expected from the track. However, the average score at the ground has been 187 and teams usually prefer to chase at the ground. It is expected to be a hot day in Jaipur on Sunday, April 12 as the temperature is expected to be in the 38 degree Celsius range till the match gets over.
The temperature in Jaipur can go up to about 38 degrees Celsius, which will make this an energy sapping afternoon game (3.30pm start). The challenge for the curators would be to ensure the surface isn’t too dry, unless that’s the instruction from the home team, which, going by the events at the IPL this season so far, may or may not be heeded.
RR vs RCB : Big Picture : RR, RCB look to bounce back from defeats
If adapting to one home venue has been a challenge for some of the teams, imagine being in Rajasthan Royals’ (RR) shoes – they have to adapt to two. After completing their initial matches in Guwahati, they return to the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, nearly three weeks into IPL 2025, hoping to bounce back from an inconsistent start.
And they run into a team, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), that has been in exceptional away form: they beat Mumbai Indians (MI) at the Wankhede for the first time in ten years, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) at Chepauk for the first time in 17 years, and have also taken down defending champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) at Eden Gardens.
RCB average 39.6 per wicket and score at 10.5 an over when on the road, while at home, these numbers come down to 22.1 and 8.3, respectively. With the ball, too, they have shown great control (average 21.2) when away, as against a leaky 56.4 at home. They had time to acclimatise during their travels earlier this season but they face a short turnaround now. It’s only been two nights since their loss to Delhi Capitals (DC).
RR, too, suffered a tough loss to Gujarat Titans (GT), but their bowling jigsaw is slowly coming together. Their powerplay bowlers have improved as the season has progressed, with Jofra Archer looking far more potent. Sandeep Sharma has also been a lot more consistent and, crucially, has the wood over Virat Kohli, having dismissed him more often than any other bowler in the IPL – seven times in 16 innings.
Apart from those sub-plots, the Indian firepower on offer from the two sides could make this a compelling contest: Sanju Samson, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana and Dhruv Jurel on one side, and Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma on the other.
RR vs RCB : In the spotlight : Â Liam Livingstone
RR vs RCB : Vital Stats that matters
- Kohli is one fifty away from becoming just the second batter after David Warner to reach 100 T20 half-centuries. He’s also one short of matching Warner’s record of 66 IPL fifties.
- RR boast the best powerplay run rate this season – 10.7 per over.
- Kohli is RCB’s all-time highest run-scorer with 8614 runs. No other Indian features in the top six before we find Rahul Dravid (1132 runs). Patidar and Padikkal are just 15 and 37 runs away, respectively, from getting to the 1000-run mark.
- In 2023, RR were rolled over for 59 by RCB in Jaipur, the third lowest team total in IPL history. That 112-run defeat remains their biggest ever.
- Sandeep Sharma has an excellent record against Virat Kohli. Despite conceding 104 runs, he has dismissed him seven times and averages 14.86 against him
- RCB have taken 10 wickets in the PowerPlay this season – the joint most along with the best average in this phase.
- Royals’ pace spearhead Jofra Archer has lacked support from other bowlers in the PowerPlay. He has picked up four wickets in this phase while the other bowlers have picked up only two wickets.
RR vs RCB : Team news for RR and RCB
Rajasthan Royals
Injuries/Availability: There are concerns around the availability of Wanindu Hasaranga, who pulled out of the last match due to personal reasons. Samson said Wanindu Hasaranga rejoined the team last night and is available for selection.
Tactics and Matchups: Wrist spinners versus RCB’s middle order will be a contest to watch. Heading into their last match, RCB’s No. 4 to 7 had hit the most sixes among all teams this season, but in the loss to Delhi Capitals, they managed just one (with Tim David, notably, coming in at No. 8). It was spin that did the damage on a surface that offered assistance and a lot will depend on how the likes of Hasaranga, if he plays, and Kartikeya fare against this middle order.
RR Predicted Playing XI : Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (C/WK), Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande.
Impact Player : Shubham Dubey
Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Injuries/Availability:Â The entire squad is available to pick from.
Tactics and Matchups: The Rajasthan Royals have struggled in the middle overs (overs 7-15), having lost 18 wickets during this phase in the IPL so far. Leg spinner Suyash Sharma has consistently put the scoring brakes for RCB in their last two games while their strong pace attack could chip in with a few quiet overs. RCB are unlikely to tinker with their combination right now, although Jacob Bethell offers a left-hand option in the middle order if they feel the need to replace the patchy Liam Livingstone.
RCB Predicted Playing XI : Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (WK), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.
Impact Player : Suyash Sharma
RR vs RCB : Probable Best Players of the Match
Probable Best Batter: Phil Salt
Phil Salt has looked in great touch, but a big knock has eluded him since his half-century in the season opener against Kolkata Knight Riders. In the last game, he was unfortunately run out for a 17-ball 37. RCB fans would hope that Salt bats deep into the innings as he could inflict a lot of damage the longer he stays at the crease.
Probable Best Bowler: Jofra Archer
Jofra Archer did not have a great start to the season, as he was very expensive in the first two games. However, some hard work behind the scenes has helped him rediscover his form. In the last three games, he has bowled 11 overs and conceded just 66 runs, picking up five wickets. Archer’s new-ball spell will be crucial for the Royals.
RR vs RCB : Match Prediction
Scenario 1
- Rajasthan Royals win the toss and bowl
- PP Score – 60-70
- RCB- 170-190
- Rajasthan Royals win the match
Scenario 2
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the toss and bowl
- PP score – 50-60
- RR – 160-180
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru win the match
Also Read: PBKS vs RR: Jofra Archer & RR Give A Reality Check To PBKS​