RCB qualification scenarios: Patidar’s Men Struggle at Home, Face Crunch Time in IPL 2025

Royal Challengers Bengaluru couldn’t get their first home win of the season as they lost to Punjab Kings by five wickets in Bengaluru on Friday. RCB has lost all three games played at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium so far in IPL 2025. They are currently fourth on the standings with 8 points to their name from 7 games.

Rajat Patidar and his team have a solid shot at making it to the IPL 2025 playoffs, but they’re in a race against time to lock in a spot in the top four. With LSG and KKR hot on their heels, RCB can’t afford to slip up now. Virat Kohli and the team need to stay focused and avoid any mistakes at the end to qualify easily.

RCB has played 7 matches in IPL 2025 and won 4 of them. What’s interesting is that all their wins happened in away games. They defeated CSK in Chennai, RR in Jaipur, MI in Mumbai, and KKR in Kolkata. But when it comes to their home ground, things haven’t gone their way; they lost all three matches at home, against DC, PBKS, and GT.

Wins: KKR, CSK, MI, RR

Losses: GT, DC, PBKS

RCB's Road to the Playoffs

RCB has 7 matches left and needs to win 4 of them to easily qualify for the IPL 2025 playoffs. Usually, teams with 16 points make it safely to the playoffs.

Patidar and Co. will also have to maintain a healthy net run-rate, given that the factor has played a crucial role in the previous seasons in determining who makes it to the final four. Besides, as mentioned before, RCB find themselves in a perilous position simply because LSG, KKR are not too far behind them on the points table and could soon push RCB out of the top four with just one win.

• Wins Needed: RCB needs to win at least 3 or 4 more matches to have a strong chance of making it to the playoffs.
• Net Run Rate (NRR): RCB’s NRR is better than most of the teams in the middle of the table. They should try to keep it that way – it could help if things get tight.
• No More Slip-Ups: Matches against teams like RR, SRH, and CSK (who aren’t doing great right now) are must-win games. They can’t afford to lose those.

RCB Upcoming Fixtures

ALSO READ: IPL 2025 Points Table: Updated Team Ranking, Standings, and Net Run Rate After RCB vs PBKS Match