Royal Challengers Bengaluru vs Rajasthan Royals Match Number: 42

 The IPL 2025 match between Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) and Rajasthan Royals (RR) is the 42nd match of the season, scheduled for today, April 24, 2025, at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. The match starts at 7:30 PM IST. Below are the full details based on available information:

Match Overview

Teams: Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) vs Rajasthan Royals (RR)

Match Number: 42

Date: April 24, 2025

Venue: M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru

Time: 7:30 PM IST

Toss Time: 7:00 PM IST

TV Broadcast: Star Sports Network and Network 18 TV channels in India

Head-to-Head: RCB leads narrowly with 16 wins to RR’s 14 in 33 IPL meetings, with 3 matches ending in no result.

Team Status

RCB

Current Standing: 3rd on the IPL 2025 points table with 10 points (5 wins, 3 losses, NRR +0.472).

Form: WLWLW (Won-Lost-Won-Lost-Won in last five matches).

Home Record: Winless at home this season (0-3 at Chinnaswamy), but unbeaten in away games (5-0).

Recent Performance: Coming off a 7-wicket win against Punjab Kings.

Key Players:

Phil Salt: Aggressive opener, scored 65 off 33 balls in their previous meeting against RR.

Virat Kohli: Unbeaten 62 in the last RR game, with his 100th T20 half-century.

Devdutt Padikkal: Scored 40* in the last RR match, likely to be an impact player.

Josh Hazlewood: Effective pacer, took out Yashasvi Jaiswal in the previous RR game.

Captain: Rajat Patidar

Predicted Playing XI: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Romario Shepherd, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma.

Impact Players: Devdutt Padikkal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh.

RR:

Current Standing: 8th on the points table with 4 points (2 wins, 6 losses, NRR -0.633).

Form: LLLLW (Lost-Lost-Lost-Lost-Won in last five matches).

Recent Performance: Lost by 2 runs to Lucknow Super Giants, failing to chase 9 runs in the final over.

Challenges: RR are on a four-match losing streak and without regular captain Sanju Samson, who is sidelined with an abdominal injury. Riyan Parag is leading the team.

Key Players:

Yashasvi Jaiswal: Leading scorer for RR with 307 runs in 8 matches, including three consecutive fifties. Scored 75 in the previous RCB game.

Jofra Archer: Leading pacer with 8 wickets this season, known for his duel with Phil Salt.

Dhruv Jurel: Unbeaten 35 off 23 in the last RCB match, also the stand-in wicketkeeper.

Riyan Parag: Acting captain, struggling with form (39 in last game).

Captain: Riyan Parag (stand-in)

Predicted Playing XI: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag (c), Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma/Akash Madhwal.

Impact Players: Shubham Dubey, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore.

Pitch and Conditions

M. Chinnaswamy Stadium: Known for high-scoring games due to its small boundaries and batting-friendly surface. The highest team total here is 287/3 by Sunrisers Hyderabad against RCB in 2024, and the lowest is 82/10 by RCB against Kolkata Knight Riders in 2008.

Pitch Report: Expect a flat track favoring batsmen, with potential for big scores. Pacers may get some early movement, but spinners could play a crucial role in the middle overs.

Weather: No specific weather updates provided, but Bengaluru typically has pleasant evening conditions in April, with minimal rain risk.

Previous Encounter (April 13, 2025)

Result: RCB won by 9 wickets at Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.

RR Batting: 173/4 in 20 overs (Yashasvi Jaiswal 75, Dhruv Jurel 35*, Riyan Parag 30, Sanju Samson 15).

RCB Bowling: Josh Hazlewood and others restricted RR, though fielding lapses (dropped catches) were noted.

RCB Batting: Chased 174 in 17.3 overs (Phil Salt 65 off 33, Virat Kohli 62* off 45, Devdutt Padikkal 40* off 28).

RR Bowling: Struggled with dropped catches (four in four overs) and lacked penetration. Jofra Archer and Sandeep Sharma were expensive.

Player of the Match: Phil Salt.

Key Battles to Watch

Phil Salt vs Jofra Archer: Their duel in Jaipur was intense, with Salt dominating Archer’s short-ball tactic. Archer may target Salt’s recent vulnerability to short balls (dismissed twice by Arshdeep Singh).

Yashasvi Jaiswal vs RCB Pacers: Jaiswal’s 75 in the last game showed his class, but Hazlewood dismissed him. RCB’s straight-length bowling (6-8m) could challenge him again.

Virat Kohli vs RR Spinners: Kohli’s composed 62* against RR included a six off Wanindu Hasaranga. RR’s spin duo (Hasaranga, Theekshana) will aim to disrupt his rhythm.

Predictions and Sentiment

Preview: RCB are favorites due to their strong form, batting depth, and RR’s struggles without Samson and recent losses. However, RR’s historical edge at Chinnaswamy (4 wins in 7 completed matches) and Jaiswal’s form could make it competitive.

Sentiment on X: Fans are optimistic about RCB breaking their home winless streak, citing RR’s weakened batting and bowling. Some highlight Jaiswal as RR’s main threat.

Tickets

Tickets for the match are available on the official RCB website and app. Once booked, they can be downloaded from the ‘Orders’ section.