Rajasthan Royals may have shot themselves in the foot by opting to play their initial matches in Guwahati. Opting to play their second match of IPL 2025 vs KKR in Barsapara stadium, Riyan Parag and co. lost were handed a 8-wicket defeat by the defending champions. The loss fueled fans to wonder why did RR not take the “home advantage” by playing in Jaipur instead of picking Guwahati as the venue.
RR shouldn’t play in Assam, here’s why
1. RR’s poor record in Assam as opposed to Jaipur
In five matches that RR have played at the ACA stadium in Guwahati, they have managed to win just one while losing on 3 occasions. Only one tie ended in a no-result. Their win-loss % at the venue is 0.333.
On the other hand, RR have won 37 out of 57 matches played at their home – the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur. One can only wonder why the franchise decided to play their first two home games away from a venue that could have served them the much-needed home advantage.
2. Batters ineffective against spin
KKR’s spinner reigned supreme over RR’s batters in the contest on Wednesday. Varun Chakravarthy and Moeen Ali were too much to handle for the so-called home side, as the finished with spells of 2/17 and 2/23 respectively. RR skipper Riyan Parag, a local boy, fell prey to a Chakravarthy off a short delivery that him flop with just a 25-run knock.
Opener Yashasvi Jaiswal perished for just 29 runs after being outfoxed by Ali. Hasaranga and Nitish Rana were dismissed for single-digit scores by the duo. The rest of the batting line-up struggled to put up a good show against the spin, with the damage already being done.
3. Dew factor affecting toss loser
There is no doubt that dew played a huge factor in the KKR vs RR contess in Guwahati. KKR’s Rahane decided to bowl first, putting in RR to bat on what was a dry surface. The visitors reaped the reward in the 2nd innings as RR bowlers failed to cope up with the dew factor. They evidently struggled as de Kock went berserk. Eventually, KKR crusied to a comfortable 8-wicket win.
4. Only Parag has fan following
In RR vs KKR, it was very much evident that the visiting team had more fans at the stadium compared to the hosts. While there is an obvious regional proximity in play for KKR, none of the members of the Royals’ side enjoy any fan following at the venue apart from Parag. Hence, the decision to play a home game at an unfamiliar venue will naturally come back to bite RR, simply becuase they don’t enjoy the backing the get back in Jaipur.
While increasing fan engagement was one of the motives to play at the Barsapara stadium, it clearly won’t work for RR and they could simply have opted to play all their home games at the Sawai Mansingh stadium in Jaipur instead.
