Rajasthan Royals will host Royal Challengers Bengaluru at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday, April 13.
Match Overview
Rajasthan Royals (RR) will lock horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in Match 28 of the 2025 Indian Premier League (IPL) at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur on Sunday. Royals have lost three of their five matches this season and haven’t been able to build any sort of momentum into their campaign.
The batting has lacked the firepower at the top of the order while the fast bowling has sorely missed a world-class performer this season. The Challengers, on the other hand, have won three of their five encounters. The top-order has fired for them while the pacers have also done their job with the ball.However, RCB do not have a world-class spinner in their contingent and that may haunt them in the second half of the tournament.
We look at the rivalry between the two franchises, the players to watch out for and the match-ups, the numbers which stand out in the different phases of play and who is likely to come out triumphant in the high-octane encounter.
The Royals started their campaign with two consecutive defeats. However, they bounced back with back-to-back wins against Chennai Super Kings and Punjab Kings. In their most recent fixture, the inaugural champions suffered a crushing 58-run defeat to the Gujarat Titans in Ahmedabad. The Sanju Samson-led side would want to get back to winning ways on Sunday.
Meanwhile, RCB are placed at No. 4 on the points table, having registered three wins and two defeats from five games. They are coming into this clash on the back of a six-wicket defeat at home against Delhi Capitals where their former player KL Rahul played a match-winning innings to help the visitors chase down a 164-run target with consummate ease.
RR vs RCB Match Details
| Match | Rajasthan Royals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Match 28, IPL 2025 |
| Venue | Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur |
| Date & Time | Sunday, April 13, 2025, 3:30 PM (IST) |
| Live Broadcast and Streaming Details | Sports18/Star Sports Network, JioHotstar (app & website) |
Head-to-Head Record
| Matches Played | 32 |
| Won by Rajasthan Royals | 14 |
| Won by Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 15 |
| Tied | 00 |
| No Result | 03 |
| First-ever Fixture | April 26, 2008 |
| Most-recent Fixture | April 06, 2024 |
TEAMS PREVIEW
Rajasthan Royals Preview
Sanju Samson’s team must put the upset against the Gujarat Titans behind them. They bowled poorly and lost the game by 58 runs. The team has a strong batting lineup, but the bowling attack is inconsistent. It will be a tough challenge for the team against the Royal Challengers in this game. Samson expects a strong show from his bowlers in this game to improve its position on the table.
Sanju Samson must lead from the front and deliver a good start with Yashasvi Jaiswal, whose lack of form hurts the team. The middle order must play aggressively, and the team needs a strong show from Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, and Dhruv Jurel. Shimron Hetmyer has done well in the lower middle order, and the team expects him to add quick runs in the game with Shubham Dubey.
Jofra Archer has found his form after struggling in the first few games. The team expects early wickets from him and Fazalhaq Farooqi. The team has struggled in the middle overs and needs good spells from Sandeep Sharma and Maheesh Theekshana. Sandeep Sharma and Riyan Parag must do well in the supporting role as the RCB batters will take them on.
Rajasthan Royals Predicted Playing XI:
Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Shimron Hetmyer, Dhruv Jurel, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Shubham Dubey (Impact Player)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Preview
Rajat Patidar was upset after his team’s loss in the last game against the Delhi Capitals. They had the game in the bag, but they had a poor bowling performance in the death overs, losing the game by 6 wickets. The team has a strong batting lineup, and Patidar expects a better show from his bowlers in this game to move up on the points table.
The side expects fireworks from Virat Kohli and Phillip Salt, as both players are in good form. They must take on Rajasthan’s bowlers, who are low on confidence. The middle order has struggled in a few games, and the team expects Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar, and Liam Livingstone to build big partnerships. The team has depth in the batting and expects quick runs from Jitesh Sharma, Krunal Pandya, and Tim David.
The bowlers failed to deliver the goods as a group in the last game. The team expects a good start with the new ball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal. Josh Hazlewood and Suyash Sharma must pick wickets in the middle overs and trouble the batters. The side expects a good show in the supporting role from Krunal Pandya and Liam Livingstone.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Predicted Playing XI:
Rajat Patidar (c), Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma (Impact Player)
Weather Conditions
We will see clear skies at Jaipur. It will be a good batting surface where batsmen can hit through the line. Bowlers will have a tough time on this wicket and must bowl well to get rewards. The average first-innings score is 161 runs, and team batting first would target 180 plus to feel comfortable on this surface.
RR vs RCB Pitch Report
Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur, is a batsman’s paradise. The wicket has true bounce and pace, allowing batters to hit through the line. Spinners enjoy bowling on this surface as the ball bounces and turns sharply. It is a tough wicket for the bowlers as the dryness doesn’t offer them much.
Venue Stats – Sawai Mansingh Stadium, Jaipur.
– The average score batting first at the venue since IPL 2022 is 180.
– The average score chasing at the venue is 163.
– Spinners have got a lot of purchase from the wicket in Jaipur and have an average of 33.3, strike rate of 23.6 and economy of 8.5 at the venue.
– It is even-stevens in Jaipur with the team batting first and the team chasing winning 5 games each since 2022.
TOSS: To Bowl .
Defending scores at this venue is tough. The wicket can be tricky to bat at the start of the game, but the batting conditions improve as the game progresses. The side won’t hesitate to bowl first and aim to restrict the opposition to a small total.
Players To Watch Out For
Yashasvi Jaiswal (RR)
– 67 (45 balls) vs PBKS in Mullanpur
– Most runs for Royals since IPL 2023
– SR of 160.5 in PP in IPL since 2023
Jofra Archer (RR)
– 3-25 in 4 overs vs PBKS in Mullanpur
– 208 wickets at SR of 17.8 in T20 cricket
– 20 wickets at a strike rate of 16.7 in IPL 2020 (best season)
Virat Kohli (RCB)
– 186 runs at SR of 145.3; 2 fifties
– Leading run-getter in IPL history
– Most hundreds in IPL history (8)
Rajat Patidar (RCB)
– 186 runs at SR of 161.7 this season
– SR of 174 vs spin in IPL
– SR of 158.4 in all T20 cricket
Indian Premier League 2025 Most Runs (T20)
| Player | MAT | RUNS | SR | 6s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Nicholas Pooran | 6 | 288 | 225.00 | 24 |
| 2. Sai Sudharsan | 6 | 278 | 151.91 | 12 |
| 3. Mitchell Marsh | 5 | 265 | 180.27 | 15 |
| 4. Ajinkya Rahane | 6 | 204 | 154.55 | 13 |
| 5. Jos Buttler | 6 | 202 | 162.90 | 9 |
| 6. Surya Kumar Yadav | 5 | 199 | 150.76 | 8 |
| 7. Rajat Patidar | 5 | 186 | 161.74 | 9 |
| 8. Virat Kohli | 5 | 186 | 145.31 | 8 |
| 9. KL Rahul | 3 | 185 | 169.72 | 10 |
| 10. Sanju Samson | 5 | 178 | 150.85 | 7 |
Powerplay & Death Over Stats
– Jaiswal has a strike rate of 160.5 in the powerplay since IPL 2023.
– Shimron Hetmyer has a strike rate of 194.5 in the death overs since IPL 2022.
– Jofra Archer has an economy rate of just 6.1 in the powerplay in the IPL.
– Virat Kohli has a strike rate of 160 in the PP since IPL 2024.
– Tim David has a strike rate of 206.5 in the death overs in the IPL.
– Rajat Patidar has a strike rate of 176 against spin in the IPL.
MATCH-UPS
– Virat Kohli vs Jofra Archer in T20 cricket
Innings – 9
Balls – 66
Runs – 86
Strike Rate – 130.3
Dismissals – 0
– Phil Salt vs Maheesh Theekshana in T20 cricket
Innings – 4
Balls – 32
Runs – 51
Strike Rate – 159.4
Dismissals – 1
– Yashasvi Jaiswal vs Josh Hazlewood in T20 cricket
Innings – 2
Balls – 13
Runs – 38
Strike Rate – 292.3
Dismissals – 1
– Sanju Samson vs Bhuvneshwar Kumar in T20 cricket
Innings – 18
Balls – 92
Runs – 118
Strike Rate – 128.3
Dismissals – 4
Indian Premier League 2025 Top Wicket Taker (T20)
| Player | MAT | WK | BBI | SR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Noor Ahmad | 6 | 12 | 4/18 | 10.00 |
| 2. Sai Kishore | 6 | 10 | 3/30 | 11.00 |
| 3. Mohammed Siraj | 6 | 10 | 4/17 | 12.00 |
| 4. Hardik Pandya | 4 | 10 | 5/36 | 8.40 |
| 5. Syed Khaleel Ahmed | 6 | 10 | 3/29 | 13.80 |
| 6. Mitchell Starc | 4 | 9 | 5/35 | 9.78 |
| 7. Shardul Thakur | 6 | 9 | 4/34 | 11.89 |
| 8. Kuldeep Yadav | 4 | 8 | 3/22 | 12.00 |
| 9. Varun Chakaravarthy | 6 | 8 | 3/22 | 17.25 |
| 10. Prasidh Krishna | 5 | 8 | 3/24 | 14.25 |
Match Predictions
Toss Prediction
Rajasthan Royals
Who will score most runs
Sanju Samson (RR)
Phil Salt (RCB)
Who will pick most wickets
Maheesh Theekshana (RR)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar (RCB)
Win Prediction
Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win
Win Prediction %
RCB – 55%
RR – 45%