Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) return to the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium tonight (April 18) hoping to end their two-match home losing streak in IPL 2025. Despite winning all four of their away games so far, RCB’s inconsistent performances in Bengaluru continue to raise questions about their ability to defend totals on a slow, dew-affected pitch.
Their recent losses at home followed a similar trend—losing the toss, batting first, and struggling to post competitive scores (169/8 and 163/7). The slow surface and evening dew made defending totals a tough ask. In their last outing at this venue, RCB’s aggressive start, driven by Phil Salt, yielded 50 runs in just three overs but didn’t convert into a win.
Compounding RCB’s issues is their bowling attack. While Josh Hazlewood has collected nine wickets overall this season with an economy of 8.65, his performance at home has been far less effective—just one wicket with a costly economy rate of 12.1.
Tonight, they face Punjab Kings (PBKS), one of the most dangerous teams in the powerplay. Top-order batters Priyansh Arya and Shreyas Iyer are among the most aggressive in IPL 2025, with strike rates of 216 and 205, respectively.
PBKS arrive in Bengaluru on the back of a historic defensive performance, successfully defending the lowest total in IPL history against KKR. Star spinner and former RCB player Yuzvendra Chahal was instrumental in that win, taking four wickets and maintaining his reputation as the most successful wicket-taker at the Chinnaswamy.
Both teams currently sit third and fourth on the points table, and the winner of tonight’s contest will rise to ten points—level with Delhi Capitals—before the two sides meet again this Sunday in New Chandigarh.
Pitch and Weather Report:
The Chinnaswamy surface is no longer the flat, high-scoring deck it once was. So far this season, pitches have been two-paced, making batting first challenging. RCB have failed to cross the 170-run mark while setting a target at home. The slowness has been attributed to hot and dry conditions, though recent rains and cooler evenings might slightly improve conditions.
RCB vs PBKS Head-to-Head:
Out of 33 encounters, PBKS hold a narrow edge with 17 wins to RCB’s 16. However, RCB have won their last three meetings, including two victories in the 2024 season.
Predicted Playing XIs:
RCB: Phil Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma
PBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer (c), Nehal Wadhera, Josh Inglis (wk)/Marcus Stoinis, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Xavier Bartlett, Yuzvendra Chahal, Arshdeep Singh, Vijaykumar Vyshak/Yash Thakur
Full Squads:
RCB: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma (w), Krunal Pandya, Tim David, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Suyash Sharma, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Abhinandan Singh, Romario Shepherd, Lungi Ngidi, Nuwan Thushara, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara
PBKS: Priyansh Arya, Prabhsimran Singh (w), Shreyas Iyer (c), Marcus Stoinis, Nehal Wadhera, Glenn Maxwell, Shashank Singh, Marco Jansen, Arshdeep Singh, Lockie Ferguson, Yuzvendra Chahal, Yash Thakur, Suryansh Shedge, Praveen Dubey, Azmatullah Omarzai, Vijaykumar Vyshak, Josh Inglis, Xavier Bartlett, Vishnu Vinod, Aaron Hardie, Kuldeep Sen, Harpreet Brar, Harnoor Singh, Musheer Khan, Pyla Avinash