With several former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) players performing strongly against their old team this season, Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid playfully suggested that they might consider including anyone in their playing XI who has previously represented RCB.
Dravid, however, emphasized the importance of consistency, noting that the Royals can’t afford further missteps if they aim to secure the IPL title. Players like KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal, and Mohammed Siraj have played pivotal roles in handing RCB three consecutive home losses.
Rahul remained unbeaten on 93 for the Capitals, while Chahal and Siraj delivered game-changing bowling performances for the Punjab Kings and Gujarat Titans, respectively. Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday ahead of the upcoming match against RCB in Bengaluru, Dravid made the light-hearted remark, as quoted by ESPN Cricinfo:
“Do we have an RCB player from last time? Play him in the XI straightaway!”
However, the former India coach stressed the need to climb the points table swiftly and avoid any further errors in the remaining matches.
“We know we have to play well to be still alive in this tournament. Every game from here on, the position we find ourselves in, we can’t afford to make many mistakes. We’ve got to start climbing that table quickly and we’ve got to start winning games quickly, there’s no options, no chances of slipping up anymore.”
“Not exactly sure what franchises expected from their curators or pitches”: Rahul Dravid
When questioned about teams home struggles in IPL 2025, Rahul Dravid explained that many players are in their first year following the major auction cycle. As a result, it may take them a season or so to adapt to the conditions. The 52-year-old further explained:
“I’m not really sure what specific franchises might have wanted from their curators or from their pitches. But yeah, I think home advantage, generally, the teams are new as well, right? It’s the first year of a big auction cycle, so for a lot of the players, even though they may be your home players, they are playing for those teams or those grounds for the first time.”
“So maybe sometimes, I think that when you just have a big auction and there’s a change of squad and a change of team, the home advantage may not be that significant.”
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