Rajasthan Royals' hunt for a win after four consecutive losses  

Betting Odds

Our Predictions 

MATCH PREVIEW     

The competition is becoming more intense in the Indian Premier League 2025. Some teams are facing the points table heat, while others are fighting hard to improve their prospects of making it to the next round. A confident Royal Challengers Bengaluru will look to strengthen their position on the points table as they take on the Rajasthan Royals in the 42nd game. RCB are in good form and defeated the Punjab Kings convincingly in the last game. They will start with higher odds and look to claim the top spot on the points table. The Rajasthan Royals shall face the heat after losing against the Lucknow Super Giants. Another defeat can dent their hopes of reaching the next round, and we expect them to fight hard in this game.  

Royal Challengers Bengaluru Preview     

Rajat Patidar and his men have shown consistency this season. They have improved their odds on cricket betting sites and shall look for the top spot on the points table. They put up a good show against the Punjab Kings, winning by 7 wickets. The batting lineup is in good form, and the team will look to capitalize on that. Their opponents will be under pressure, and Patidar and his men will look to take advantage of it.  

Virat Kohli showed his class in the last game, and he will look to a good start with Philip Salt. Devdutt Padikkal has played a good role in the middle order and must build partnerships with Rajat Patidar and Jitesh Sharma. The team expects a strong show in the lower middle order from Tim David, Krunal Pandya, and Romario Shephard, as all of them can strike the ball hard.  

Bhuvneshwar Kumar is doing well with the new ball, and he will look to make early inroads into Rajasthan's batting with Yash Dayal. Josh Hazlewood must use his experience in the middle overs and do well with Krunal Pandya. Suyash Sharma and Romario Shephard must bowl well in the supporting role as Rajasthan Royals have power hitters.  

Expected Starting XI for Royal Challengers Bengaluru     

Rajat Patidar (c), Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Devdutt Padikkal (Impact Player)  

Rajasthan Royals Preview      

With four consecutive losses, the Rajasthan Royals have their backs against the wall. The side went down by 2 runs against the Lucknow Super Giants after having the game in control in the power play of their run chase. Sanju Samson, who missed out on the last game due to a rib injury will have his task cut out on return. They will start behind on cricket betting apps and need to fire all cylinders to win here.  

Sanju Samson and Yashasvi Jaiswal must deliver a good start and lay a strong foundation for the team in this must-win game. Vaibhav Suryavanshi made a strong impact on debut in the last game and shall look to add runs in the middle order with Nitish Rana and Riyan Parag. Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, and Shubham Dubey will look to add quick runs in the lower middle order.  

On the bowling front, the team expects a strong show with the new ball from Maheesh Theekshana and Jofra Archer, as RCB batters have shown good form this season. Tushar Deshpande and Wanindu Hasaranga must bowl well in the middle overs to restrict the scoring rate. The side will also like a good show from Sandeep Sharma and Parag in the supporting act.  

Expected Starting XI for Rajasthan Royals      

Sanju Samson (c & wk), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Riyan Parag, Nitish Rana, Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Vaibhav Suryavanshi (Impact Player)   

TOSS: To Bowl First      
The toss is always crucial at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. The team chasing the score has won in the three games this season. It has a great batting surface, and defending totals at this venue is tough. The side winning the toss will opt to bowl first in this game.      
 

PITCH AND WEATHER CONDITIONS      

We expect overcast skies over Bengaluru. It will be a great track for batting, where the ball will come onto the bat nicely, allowing batsmen to play their strokes. There isn't much on this track for bowlers. The side that bats first will aim to score 200 runs to feel safe on this track.   

OUR PREDICTION      

The Rajasthan Royals are in a now-or-never situation. One more loss can derail their campaign, and the team expects good performances in this contest from its top order and bowling attack. Royal Challengers Bengaluru have been consistent this season and have their batters in good form. The Rajasthan Royals will fight hard in this game, but the Royal Challengers Bengaluru will be the favorites.  

Our prediction is for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to win