‘Play him in the XI straightaway’: Rahul Dravid’s wild dig at RCB’s Chinnaswamy ‘curse’ ahead of crunch IPL clash

In the ongoing IPL 2025 season, the Royal Challengers Bengaluru have had a rather interesting record; while they have remained unbeaten on the road, the side is yet to register a single win at its home ground – the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Moreover, the ‘RCB Return’ curse has become a real thing in this season – Mohammed Siraj, KL Rahul, Yuzvendra Chahal – one by one, former Royal Challengers Bangalore players have returned to the side’s home ground and delivered telling blows to their old team.

Now, as Rajasthan Royals head coach Rahul Dravid returns to the city where his IPL journey began, the spotlight naturally follows.

RCB’s first-ever captain is now trying to guide a struggling RR unit out of a four-match losing spiral. They’ve managed just two wins in eight games and desperately need momentum. Ahead of their clash against RCB, Dravid couldn’t help but address the ongoing narrative with a touch of humour.

“Do we have an RCB player from last time? Play him in the XI straightaway!” Dravid quipped with a laugh when speaking to the media on Wednesday.

Interestingly, Wanindu Hasaranga and Shimron Hetmyer – both of whom are part of RR’s XI throughout their matches this season – were once part of the RCB setup, with Hasaranga being their leading wicket-taker during their playoff run in 2022.

Dravid on homecoming

Dravid quickly steered the conversation towards the cricket at hand, dismissing any extra emotional weight to the Bengaluru homecoming. “No, not at all, man. I don’t think about it like that, to be very honest. Just trying to play a good game of cricket,” he said.

RR’s campaign, he admitted, has been tough. Despite flashes of quality, they’ve let close games slip through their fingers, most notably needing just nine runs in the final over against both Delhi Capitals and Lucknow Super Giants, only to lose the first in a Super Over and the second by two runs.

“We know we have to play well to be still alive in this tournament,” Dravid said. “I know we’ve lost a couple of close games coming into this, but we’ve played some good cricket as well. It’s one of those tournaments where a few balls going here or there and we might have been in a slightly different position, but you need to play well in those critical moments.”