Things didn’t go as per plan for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru against Delhi Capitals back home as a batting collapse midway saw them stutter. However, they are back on their feet and raring to go as the next chapter is already here with the much awaited green game of the season knocking on the doors as Rajasthan Royals gear up to host RCB.

RCB has so far notched up three wins from the first five games and will be hopeful of returning to winning ways when they lock horns with Rajasthan Royals. In the three wins secured by RCB, their overall batting has come together and posted a formidable show. However, in the two losses, slides up front and in the middle have left them wobbling.

Rajasthan Royals who have so far secured just two wins from five matches will be desperate to bounce back stronger. It has been a mixed show from the Royals as they went into overdrive against SRH in the first game despite falling short in the end but failed to conjure a good enough show against KKR. With a defeat in the last game against GT, they will be also eyeing to claw back to winning ways in their own backyard.

Venue Watch

As Jaipur gets ready for the hallowed battle of the two heavyweights, the surface has always been a batting friendly one. If history repeats itself, there will be hardly any tweaks whatsoever to the track and one can expect the game to be a high-scoring encounter. With the game being played in daylight, the ball might tend to do a bit more at the start of the second innings but if the batters can just be wary about the lateral drift, it should be okay for them.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Maheesh Theekshana:

Virat Kohli did get the start in the last game but it wasn’t enough for him to convert into a big total. He fell midway and that compounded RCB’s woes. However, Virat has shown in the latest iteration of the tournament already that he is not someone who would be bogged down by mere pitfalls. He has shown the affluency in this fray so far and will be hopeful of going all guns blazing. Maheesh Theekshana had a rough day in office in the last game but his knack for taking early wickets with those mercurial off-breaks make him a tricky contender for Virat.

Rajat Patidar vs Jofra Archer

Rajat Patidar has managed to score in every single game so far and his form will be a major bother for Rajasthan Royals. His mastery against spin is noteworthy while he has also upped his game against pace. However, when compared between spin and pace, he has been a lot better against the turners. This is exactly where Jofra Archer comes in. The brute pace of the English fast-bowler will test Patidar and he will have to deal with it. Archer’s knack of getting those short balls and bumpers can be uncomfortable for Patidar but the RCB captain has formerly shown that on his day, there would be no challenges that he can’t brave.

Josh Hazlewood vs Yashasvi Jaiswal

Hazlewood has struggled in the last two games but his ability with the new ball makes him almost unputdownable. He can make the ball move early on and his ability to use that towering height of his turns him into a menace. Yashasvi Jaiswal has a knack of trying to go big from the word ‘go’ and this is exactly what can provide Hazlewood with the chance to try and sneak in those peaches which can make the southpaw uncomfortable.

Match detail:

Match: Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru

Venue: Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur

Date: 13th April, 2025

Time: 3:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 32

RR: 14

RCB: 15

Squads:

Royal Challengers Bengaluru:

Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar (c), Swastik Chikara, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Philip Salt, Manoj Bhandage, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Liam Livingstone, Romario Shepherd, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Mohit Rathee, Abhinandan Singh.

Rajasthan Royals:

Yashasvi Jaiswal, Sanju Samson (w/c), Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Sandeep Sharma, Kumar Kartikeya, Shubham Dubey, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kunal Singh Rathore, Akash Madhwal, Ashok Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Kwena Maphaka, Vaibhav Suryavanshi