Ravindra Jadeja might be vulnerable against RCB.
Ravindra Jadeja didn’t bowl against Mumbai Indians (MI) in the previous game in Guwahati. He bowled only two overs a game before against Gujarat Titans, where he conceded 25 runs without taking any wickets. In the first encounter, Jadeja bowled three overs and took two wickets, but still didn’t complete his quota.
So, there are definitely some concerns around his bowling if early trends are anything to go by. His numbers against LHBs, who are his negative matchups, have not been great for a while. Fortunately for Rajasthan Royals (RR), Ravi Bishnoi has been doing the job well so far since he bowls many googlies against southpaws.
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Against solid spin-hitters, his numbers take a massive hit, too, even against RHBs. His white-ball bowling has limitations at this stage, especially on flat IPL decks. So, RR have to be precise with his usage and find ideal overs to use him against RCB.
In the middle order, RCB have Rajat Patidar, the best spin player, and Tim David, whose spin game has improved massively. Jitesh Sharma is another solid spin-hitter, and RCB can also promote Krunal Pandya, the other LHB in the lineup. Hence, Ravindra Jadeja might need to be shielded against most of them, if not all.
The ideal way to use Jadeja would be against RCB’s top three early in the innings. He has bowled only two of his 42.5 overs during the field restrictions since last year because his defensive skills can be shaky with few fielders to protect the boundary. However, if he has to bowl against RCB, the spinner might be better suited to bowl early in the innings.
Kohli can be a slow-starter against spin: he has a strike rate of just 111.11 and a balls-per-boundary ratio of nine in the first 10 balls since 2025. Additionally, he plays around 33.33% dot balls. Notably, Kohli has been dismissed thrice by Ravindra Jadeja, and the batter has scored at only 111.87 against him.
Meanwhile, Salt has started quickly, even against spin, but has recently developed significant issues against spin. Since the end of IPL 2025, he has an average of 35.46 and a strike rate of 132.09 in all T20s. He has taken as many as 7.12 deliveries for every boundary.
His explosiveness hasn’t been the same, and he has always been limited against spin on non-flat surfaces. The decks haven’t been out-and-out flat in Guwahati, and Jadeja can bowl a few at the start. It will allow him to bowl to two RHBs, who are not too destructive against spin in this side.
There’s also some merit to using Jadeja against Padikkal, who has lost his wicket three times against left-arm spin since last season. He has struck at a whopping 151.61, but his balls-per-dismissal reduces to 10.33, with 44.82% false shots. He has mostly whacked pace, with spin removing him a few times, since last year, and Ravindra Jadeja has dismissed him once in 34 deliveries.
If Jadeja mostly bowls to the openers and Padikkal, Rajasthan Royals can use Ravi Bishnoi against Patidar and other lower-order batters, who are all more explosive against spin. Bishnoi has bowled well against RHBs this IPL and is undoubtedly a better option to tackle spin-hitters in the middle, with recent form and confidence on his back. He has to bowl more tough overs than Jadeja, whose value as a bowler will be minimal against an all-round RCB batting unit.
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