Rajat Patidar’s coin curse stretches to 4-0 at Chinnaswamy

Rajat Patidar’s unfortunate streak with the coin toss continued as Royal Challengers Bengaluru lost yet another toss at their home ground, the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.

RCB once again found themselves on the wrong side of the toss against Rajasthan Royals on Thursday, marking Patidar’s fourth consecutive toss defeat at home.

RCB’s campaign has been an intriguing contrast between home and away fixtures. While they have dominated on the road with five consecutive wins, their home performances have been far from ideal. They are yet to register a single victory in Bengaluru this season, having suffered defeats against Punjab Kings, Gujarat Titans, and Delhi Capitals. The latest toss loss against Rajasthan further compounds their home ground woes.

After RR skipper opted to bowl first, Patidar admitted RCB would have made the same call had they won the toss. Despite the toss misfortune and home setbacks, RCB have maintained a strong position in the league. With five wins from eight games, they currently sit fourth on the points table, boasting a healthy net run rate of +0.472.

Rajasthan Royals, meanwhile, entered the clash looking to break free from a dismal run of form. Having lost four matches in a row, the team finds itself languishing at eighth place with only four points and a concerning net run rate of -0.633. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of Lucknow Super Giants (LSG), where they fell short by just two runs in a nail-biting encounter on April 19.

In a bid to shake things up, the Royals brought in Afghan left-arm pacer Fazalhaq Farooqi to replace Sri Lankan spinner Maheesh Theekshana in the playing XI. With their regular captain Sanju Samson still sidelined due to injury, the Royals have had to rely on a reshuffled setup in a crucial phase of the tournament.