As IPL league stage for 2025 and heading toward the penultimate segment, Match 65 presents a pretty interesting face-off. On Wednesday May 23, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are scheduled to take on Sunrisers Hyderabad at Ekana Stadium-Lucknow.
Well, it gets better with an extremely interesting twist. This match was meant to happen in Bengaluru but would eventually take place in Lucknow because of the craziness over the weather down south. Frankly, that would change the game a bit.
With 17 points on board and two matches to go, Royal Challengers Bangalore have sealed their playoff spot after Gujarat Titans beat Delhi Capitals. Ideally, RCB now aspires to finsh off in the top two brackets. That safety net under them should give them enough room in Qualifier 1 to come hard on their opponents.
In contrast, their SRH are already out of the playoffs and have got nothing to lose; hence, they are somewhat dangerous. They will play to spoil RCB’s plans. Oh, and they just won against Lucknow Super Giants which means they are not out of the match fight. So yes, stakes are high for one team while pride is at stake for the other. Should make for an interesting contest…
Match Details
| Fixture: Match 65, RCB vs SRH |
| Date and Time: Friday May 23,2025 at 7:30 PM IST |
| Venue: Ekana Stadium Lucknow |
| Broadcast: JioStar Network and JioHotstar app and website |
Pitch Condition
The Ekana surface has been kind of tricky this season. It’s not easy to score big here because of the big ground dimensions and slow nature of the pitch. The average first innings score is around 167 but if you want to win here especially with dew coming in during the second innings you probably need something around 180 or more.
- Pitch Type: Sluggish with low bounce and a bit of grip for spinners
- Avg First Innings Score: 167
- Toss Prediction: Win toss bowl first
- Key Factor: Handling spin and adjusting to the slowness will be key
Weather Forecast
It’s going to be a warm evening in Lucknow. No major rain threat but a few passing clouds are expected.
- Temperature: Around 34°C during the match
- Rain Chance: Just about 10 percent
- Humidity: Close to 45 percent by the second innings
Also read: IPL 2025 Playoffs: GT, RCB, PBKS & MI – Road to the Finals Explained
Head to Head Record
| Matches Played | 25 |
| Won by RCB | 11 |
| Won by SRH | 13 |
| Lost by RCB | 13 |
| Lost by SRH | 11 |
| Highest Score RCB | 262 |
| Highest Score SRH | 287 |
| No Result | 1 |
Current Standings and Form
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru RCB
| Matches:12 | Wins:8 | Losses:3 | Points:17 | NRR:+0.482 |
- Sunrisers Hyderabad SRH
| Matches:12 | Wins:4 | Losses:7 | Points:9 | NRR:-1.005 |
Players to Watch (RCB)
- Virat Kohli: The man is on fire. 505 runs in 11 games and four fifties in a row. He’s been leading from the front and looks hungrier than ever. You can’t look past him right now.
- Phil Salt: He gives RCB those quick starts in the powerplay and with Lucknow’s surface not being super fast his ability to adapt will be crucial.
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: Quiet but effective Bhuvi is doing his job with the ball. With his swing up front and control at the death he’ll be key on this pitch.
Players to Watch (SRH)
- Heinrich Klaasen: If there’s anyone who can mess up a bowling plan it’s Klaasen. Clean hitter good spin player and fearless.
- Pat Cummins: Might not be picking tons of wickets but the Aussie has been holding it together for SRH especially in the death overs. This could be his match.
- Abhishek Sharma: He’s shown flashes of brilliance at the top. If he clicks it’ll set the tone for SRH.
X Factor Battle: Kohli vs Cummins
This is the battle we want. Virat in red hot form going up against Cummins who will be looking to stop him early. If Kohli survives the powerplay SRH could be in big trouble.
SWOT Analysis (RCB)
- Strengths: Top order in top gear balanced bowling
- Weaknesses: Middle order can be inconsistent
- Opportunities: A win gets them closer to that top two finish
- Threats: Complacency against a team with nothing to lose
SWOT Analysis (SRH)
- Strengths: Big hitters and some fearless intent
- Weaknesses: Inconsistent bowling especially in the middle overs
- Opportunities: Spoil RCB’s campaign and end on a high
- Threats: Low morale and not much to play for
Probable Playing XIs (RCB)
- Virat Kohli
- Phil Salt
- Jacob Bethell
- Rajat Patidar (C)
- Jitesh Sharma (WK)
- Tim David
- Romario Shepherd
- Krunal Pandya
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar
- Rasikh Salam
- Yash Dayal
Impact Player: Suyash Sharma
Probable Playing XIs (SRH)
- Abhishek Sharma
- Ishan Kishan (WK)
- Nitish Kumar Reddy
- Heinrich Klaasen
- Aniket Verma
- Kamindu Mendis
- Pat Cummins (C)
- Harshal Patel
- Harsh Dubey
- Zeeshan Ansari
- Eshan Malinga
Impact Player: Atharva Taide
Who Will Win Today’s Match
Everything’s pointing toward RCB. They’ve got momentum clarity and something real to play for. SRH have talent no doubt but they’ve been patchy all season. If Kohli gets going and the bowlers do their job RCB should walk away with this one.
- Prediction: RCB to win by 20 to 30 runs or chase down the target with 6 to 7 wickets in hand
- In a Nutshell, Dark Horse: Keep an eye on Tim David. If there’s a need to accelerate at the back end he could do some real damage.
- Predicted Winner: Royal Challengers Bengaluru
Let’s see if SRH can play the upset card or if RCB cruise into the playoffs with full confidence.
Written by Ritesh Singh
