Bengaluru’s M. Chinnaswamy Stadium is set to roar tonight, April 24, as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) square off against Rajasthan Royals (RR) in match 42 of the Indian Premier League 2025. RCB, led by Rajat Patidar, are gunning to snap a nasty streak: they’re 0-3 at home this season, despite a blazing 5-0 record on the road. The Royals, reeling without their skipper Sanju Samson, who’s sidelined with an abdominal injury, aim to exploit Bengaluru’s home woes and climb from their eighth-place rut.
RCB’s batting firepower has been a tale of two cities. Away, they’ve been unstoppable, with Phil Salt smashing boundaries like a man possessed and Virat Kohli anchoring chases with surgical precision. Salt’s been a Powerplay beast, averaging 12.8 runs per over across five innings, while Kohli’s been lethal between overs 11 and 16, batting at a 142.6 strike rate. Together, their opening stands have outscored the top pairs of seven IPL teams. But at Chinnaswamy, the same squad’s fizzled. The pitch, relaid and 24% slower this year, has turned their usual “hit-through-the-line” approach into a gamble. Forced to set totals every home game, RCB’s Powerplay strike rate drops from 158 away to a meek 132 here.
Tonight, they face a Royals side that’s been a mixed bag. RR’s last outing ended in a gut-punch—a two-run loss to Lucknow Super Giants. Yashasvi Jaiswal, their batting linchpin, is in red-hot form, racking up 307 runs in eight matches, including three straight fifties. His 75 off 47 balls in their last meeting with RCB, on April 13 in Jaipur, was a masterclass, but it wasn’t enough. RCB chased RR’s 173 for 4 in just 17.3 overs, losing only one wicket. Salt blazed 65 off 33, Kohli stayed unbeaten on 62, and Devdutt Padikkal’s 40 not out sealed a nine-wicket rout. RR’s fielders didn’t help, dropping four catches, including Salt at 12, 23, and 40, and Kohli at 7.
RR’s bowling hinges on Jofra Archer, who’s been a Powerplay menace with six wickets at under eight runs an over. The rest of their attack, though, has struggled, leaking 9.10 runs per over and managing just two wickets in the opening phase. With Samson out, Riyan Parag takes the captain’s armband, leaning on a pace trio of Archer, Sandeep Sharma, and Tushar Deshpande, plus spinners Maheesh Theekshana and Wanindu Hasaranga. RCB, unchanged from their last win—a seven-wicket thrashing of Punjab Kings—stick with a loaded XI: Salt, Kohli, Patidar, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, and Suyash Sharma. Padikkal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, and Swapnil Singh are on impact-sub duty.
The Royals’ camp isn’t short on grit, but their 2-6 record and -0.633 net run rate scream urgency. RCB, sitting third with 10 points and a +0.472 net run rate, know a win could cement their playoff push. RR won the toss and opted to bowl, banking on Chinnaswamy’s chasing-friendly reputation. The match, kicking off at 7:30 PM IST, will be broadcast live on Star Sports and streamed on JioHotstar.
RCB’s home struggles trace back to three losses this season, all while defending totals. RR have beaten RCB 14 times in 33 IPL meetings, with Bengaluru winning five and losing three in 2025. The last RCB-RR clash at Chinnaswamy, in 2023, saw RCB defend 189 for a seven-run victory.