RCB Eye First Home Win Against Struggling Rajasthan Royals

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) are having a solid IPL 2025 season overall—but they’re yet to taste victory at home. That’s a streak they’ll be eager to end when they take on the Rajasthan Royals (RR), a team currently stuck in a slump, at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB have been a force on the road, unbeaten and well-placed in the top four, but their inability to win at home has been a puzzling anomaly. With two of their next three matches at the Chinnaswamy, including Thursday’s clash against RR, it’s the perfect time for the team to flip the script in front of their home crowd.

For RR, things have gone from bad to worse. They’re coming off four consecutive losses, including two nail-biters where they failed to score nine runs in the final over—against Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants. Adding to their woes, regular captain Sanju Samson is out with an abdominal injury, and Riyan Parag, filling in, has struggled to replicate his standout form from last season.

While RCB look a settled side with well-defined roles, RR are still shuffling their combinations, looking for answers. Their middle order has been shaky, and despite the flexibility offered by the Impact Player rule, they often fall short on batting depth.

RCB will aim to take advantage of this instability, especially with their playoff spot still up for grabs. For RR, time is running out—they need a spark, and they need it fast.

Player Watch

One individual contest to keep an eye on is the rematch between Phil Salt and Jofra Archer. In their last face-off in Jaipur, Salt took on Archer’s barrage of short balls and came out swinging. But recently, Salt has shown a vulnerability to the short ball, falling early twice to Arshdeep Singh. Will Salt take on Archer again, or approach with caution?

For RR, Riyan Parag’s form remains crucial. After returning from shoulder surgery, he’s been underwhelming with the bat and now carries the additional pressure of captaincy. His 39 against LSG was promising, but his dismissal with 19 needed from 12 balls proved costly. With the playoffs slipping further away, Parag will need to rediscover his form to inspire a turnaround.