Picking a combined RR-RCB playing 11 with impact sub ahead of IPL 2025 clash ft. Virat Kohli, Jofra Archer 

It has taken Rajasthan Royals (RR) close to three weeks to play their actual first home game of the season, and they are up against a Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) side, who boast a 100 percent win record on the road. The Rajat Patidar-led side have dominated in challenging venues like the Eden Gardens, Chepuak, and the Wankhede, only to slip up at home. so far in the campaign

RR have been enduring a very inconsistent season up until now. Beginning with two losses up front, followed by successive wins, and another loss, has made them desperate for some sustained momentum.

Both teams are coming on the back of a loss. RR fell to a tame loss against the Gujarat Titans (GT) in Ahmedabad, while RCB succumbed to a KL Rahul masterclass against the Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Chinnaswamy.

On that note, let us take a look at the combined RR-RCB playing 11 with impact sub ahead of the IPL 2025 clash.

Top Order: Virat Kohli, Sanju Samson, Nitish Rana

RR and RCB have a very similar top three. They are right up there when it comes to maximising the powerplay and showing intent. Both sides also have a left-handed No.3 who tries to match the scoring rate from the word go, before the middle order takes over.

All four of Sanju Samson, Virat Kohli, Yashasvi Jaiswal, and Phil Salt have been explosive from the word go, but the latter two have not been able to stay at the crease for long enough to have a profound impact. Sanju Samson's wicket-keeping and captaincy ability also help his case to make it to the combined XI.

Ever since taking over from Riyan Parag at No.3, Nitish Rana has offered a little boost in scoring. Although he has not been at his consistent best, his runs have come at a strike rate of 179.36, giving a good enough launch pad for the middle order.

Middle Order: Rajat Patidar, Shimron Hetmyer, Tim David

Rajat Patidar has justified his price tag and retention by RCB after continuing his pristine form. The right-handed batter has once again been sublime against spin bowling, arguably being the undisputed best player against them in the entire country.

The skipper has led from the front to show RCB's aggressive style. He is the joint-highest run-getter for RCB alongside Virat Kohli, and has a strike rate of 161.73.

Shimron Hetmyer has often had to settle for a spot in the lower middle-order, with the team viewing him solely as a finisher. The explosive left-handed batter, who was retained by the franchise, has played his role to perfection at the back end of . the innings, scoring 140 runs at a strike rate of 153.84.

Fellow finisher Tim David has hardly put a foot wrong in his second stint for RCB. His late exploits have provided RCB with the much-needed boost. He has remained not out in three of his four outings, ensuring to maximise the scoring until the final ball. His exploits have come at a strike rate of 195.74, with more than half of his runs for the season coming through sixes.

Lower Order: Krunal Pandya, Jofra Archer, Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Yash Dayal

RR's bowling has been a little shaky since the revamp, which is further complicated by Wanindu Hasaranga's potential absence. The Sri Lankan spinner was not in the playing XI due to personal reasons during RR's loss to GT. The biggest positive for RR in their bowling is Jofra Archer's return to form.

The Englishman has been bowling at full throttle across the last few games. Managing to trouble the opening batters, Archer has given RR the early boost, which the rest of the bowling attack has failed to capitalise on.

On the other hand, RCB's new-look bowling attack has largely stitched together decent performances so far. Their pace department, comprising Josh Hazlewood, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and Yash Dayal, have been impactful in all three phases of the game.

Impact Sub: Suyash Sharma, Devdutt Padikkal, Kumar Kartikeya, Riyan Parag, Sandeep Sharma

The combined XI though, sorted for batting until no.8, lacks another spin bowling option. Luckily, both RR and RCB have solid options to resolve that. Suyash Sharma and Kumar Kartikeya have come on as an impact sub in several games to help their principal spinners in the middle overs.