Anil Kumble, the first-ever skipper of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) franchise reflected on the struggles of batting first at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengaluru. In the ongoing season of the Indian Premier League, RCB have failed to win a single match at their home ground, so far. The legendary Indian bowler gave his take, ahead of Rajat Patidar-led team’s match at the venue against Rajasthan Royals (RR) on Thursday (April 24), on how RCB batters can shift the momentum.
RCB’s performance at the Chinnaswamy Stadium so far
18th April 2025 (RCB vs PBKS) – Punjab Kings won by 5 wickets
10th April 2025 (RCB vs DC) – Delhi Capitals won by 6 wickets
2nd April 2025 (RCB vs GT) – Gujarat Titans won by 8 wickets
Anil Kumble on RCB’s losing streak at the Chinnaswamy Stadium
“Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s challenge when batting first at Chinnaswamy is that it’s hard to gauge a good score. Typically, anything below 200 isn’t safe, but this year, the pitch has been a bit spongy and sticky, which doesn’t help the batsmen. Despite that, it’s an advantage for bowlers,” Anil Kumble expressed while speaking on JioHotstar.
Notably, in all the three matches that RCB played at the venue in IPL 2025 so far and lost, the franchise had batted first. They could manage to register underwhelming scores in all three instances. RCB’s scores at their home ground are 169/8 vs GT, 163/7 vs DC, and 95/9 vs PBKS (14-over game).
Anil Kumble on having the right batting approach
“In all three matches where RCB batted first at Chinnaswamy, they struggled. Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal need to bat longer to allow players like Phil Salt and Rajat Patidar to come in and play freely. It’s not about the pitch but about having the right batting approach,” Anil Kumble said.
“If RCB bats first tomorrow and the pitch remains the same, I’m confident Virat will adjust and score runs,” he added.
Full Squads:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar, Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Suyash Sharma, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh, Liam Livingstone, Nuwan Thushara, Lungi Ngidi, Mohit Rathee, Swastik Chikara, Abhinandan Singh
Rajasthan Royals Squad: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag, Dhruv Jurel, Shimron Hetmyer, Shubham Dubey, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Maheesh Theekshana, Sandeep Sharma, Tushar Deshpande, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Kumar Kartikeya, Akash Madhwal, Kunal Singh Rathore, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Kwena Maphaka, Ashok Sharma