RCB eye all-elusive home win in Round 2 of Battle Royale

The Royal Challengers Bengaluru are all set to rumble in round two of the Battle Royale as they host Rajasthan Royals in a crucial encounter at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. With a win against Punjab Kings in the latter’s backyard, RCB are now in fourth position with five wins from eight games. The much-elusive home win can be a crucial one, considering the fact that this will help them to get into the top three.

RCB has so far produced an unblemished away record in this year’s IPL. However, they have had challenges at home as they have lost all three of their fixtures in Bengaluru. This is one particular element that has bothered them so far. Earlier, Phil Salt, Devdutt Padikkal and Rajat Patidar made it clear that it is the home win that they are desperately seeking. If they can manage the win against RR, not only will they get the double that they are looking forward to but they will also break the home jinx.

Rajasthan Royals have had their challenges so far in the ongoing edition of the tournament. With just two wins from eight games, they will be desperate to turn the tide around. They have just managed one win from their last five games while losing all four of their last four fixtures.

Venue Watch

The last couple of games played at Chinnaswamy has been au contraire to popular belief. The surface in the first half of the game has been sticky and the bounce has been extremely irregular. The turners have also made the most out of it and only in the second half, batting gets comparatively easier. One needs to be watchful of the movement while the irregular bounce can create quite a few problems for the batters.

Personal battles to watch out for:

Virat Kohli vs Wanindu Hasaranga:

Virat blasted another half-century in the ongoing IPL as he climbed up the ladder of the leading run-scorers of the tournament. Once the initial jitters have been shaken off, Kohli has so far looked great. At home, his numbers might have dropped but he would be hopeful of making a turnaround in this crucial encounter. The way he has been striking the ball off late makes him quite a favourite to tackle his former teammate, Wanindu Hasaranga. The Sri Lankan leg-spinner has drifted in and out of form in the ongoing season and he will also be eager to keep the former RCB captain in check.

Rajat Patidar vs Sandeep Sharma

Patidar has been in confident nick in this year’s IPL but he is still to come up with his belligerent best. He needs to roll out with all his might if he has to keep that formidable reputation of his going. He has got quite a few starts and now would be looking forward to make it big. Sandeep Sharma is one of the most experienced campaigners and will be desperate to get the necessary reinforcements in place so that the RCB captain can be kept under control.

Josh Hazlewood vs Yashasvi Jaiswal

Josh Hazlewood has been in fine touch and his partnership with Bhuvneshwar Kumar in both the powerplay and the death overs have been absolutely sensational. Darting in with a high release point, Hazlewood can be the nemesis for Yashasvi Jaiswal considering the knack of the southpaw to play across the line frequently enough. With the ball coming quicker, and Jaiswal trying to clip or flick one of a propitious length, Hazlewood might just try and get in the odd one that angles away with a bit of a late wobble, especially with the new ball in his hands. However, the two go a long way in terms of rivalry, considering their exchange dating back from the Border-Gavaskar Trophy.

Match detail:

Match: Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals

Venue: Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Date: 24th April, 2025

Time: 7:30 PM

Head-to-head:

Matches played: 33

RR: 14

RCB: 16

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