RR Opts To Bowl First Against RCB At Chinnaswamy

When Royal Challengers Bangalore (RCB) take on Rajasthan Royals (RR) in tonight's IPL 2025 clash on Thursday, they'll be eyeing a much-needed win at their home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

So far, RCB have played three matches at home this season - and lost all three. This game offers them a chance to turn things around.

Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, will be without regular captain Sanju Samson, who is still recovering from a muscle strain. The team is under pressure to keep their playoff hopes alive, and a win in this match is essential for them.

This will be the second meeting between the two sides this season. RCB defeated RR convincingly by nine wickets in Jaipur on April 13. Rajat Patidar, leading RCB in Samson's absence, has taken his team to fourth on the table with 10 points and a net run rate of 0.472. On the other hand, Rajasthan Royals have struggled - losing six of their eight matches - and currently sit eighth with just four points.

RCB vs RR Toss Update

Rajasthan Royals have won the toss and have opted to field.

What captains said...

Riyan Parag: We will bowl first. The wicket looks a bit sticky and should get better later on. It's back to our ethics now, if we can give our 100 percent, the results will take care of themselves. Sanju bhai is recovering and hopefully he will be back soon.

Rajat Patidar: We would have loved to bowl first as well, the surface has been tricky and unpredictable this season and we will try to adapt as quickly as we can. We have to be good at shot-selection.

Playing XIs

Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal.

Rajasthan Royals (Playing XI): Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma.

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