In his criticism of his former team’s “crazy” IPL 2025 itinerary, former Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) star AB de Villiers brought attention to the arduous travel schedule that RCB players must put up with. With 17,084 km to travel this season—the most of any team—the South African icon questioned the rationale behind the rigorous schedule, cautioning that it could negatively impact RCB at IPL 2025.
“The start of a campaign is never easy, but they did it absolutely spot on. Look at that ‘away, away, now they go home. Then they are away again, home, away, home, away, it’s crazy. I’ve never seen a situation like this, and it is challenging, but it can be one of your strengths,” de Villiers said while speaking to his YouTube channel.
Is RCB’s IPL 2025 schedule an unfair burden?
RCB’s season kicked off with two tough away fixtures against Kolkata Knight Riders and Chennai Super Kings—both of which they won. However, their road ahead remains punishing, with matches alternating between home and away in quick succession. Although he praised RCB’s performance, De Villiers made a suggestion that the team’s consistency and cohesiveness would be affected by such considerable travel.
“It can keep the squad together, especially when you find a bit of momentum to jump around like that… you often find yourself travelling together. If you have four home games in a row, you sort of lose feel for the players….Guys do different things, they go to restaurants at night, and you sort of lose that touch and the connection between the squad,” he added.
How much will each team travel in IPL 2025?
A look at the travel distances reveals that RCB has drawn the short straw. Here’s how much each team will travel this season:
| Team | Distance (km) |
|---|---|
| Sunrisers Hyderabad | 8,536 |
| Delhi Capitals | 9,270 |
| Lucknow Super Giants | 9,747 |
| Gujarat Titans | 10,405 |
| Mumbai Indians | 12,702 |
| Rajasthan Royals | 12,730 |
| Kolkata Knight Riders | 13,537 |
| Punjab Kings | 14,341 |
| Chennai Super Kings | 16,184 |
| Royal Challengers Bengaluru | 17,084 |
RCB full schedule for IPL 2025
| Date | Home | Away | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 22-Mar-25 | KKR | RCB | Kolkata | 7:30 PM (WIN) |
| 28-Mar-25 | CSK | RCB | Chennai | 7:30 PM (WIN) |
| 02-Apr-25 | RCB | GT | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 07-Apr-25 | MI | RCB | Mumbai | 7:30 PM |
| 10-Apr-25 | RCB | DC | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 13-Apr-25 | RR | RCB | Jaipur | 3:30 PM |
| 18-Apr-25 | RCB | PBKS | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 20-Apr-25 | PBKS | RCB | Mullanpur | 3:30 PM |
| 24-Apr-25 | RCB | RR | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 27-Apr-25 | DC | RCB | Delhi | 7:30 PM |
| 03-May-25 | RCB | CSK | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 09-May-25 | LSG | RCB | Lucknow | 7:30 PM |
| 13-May-25 | RCB | SRH | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
| 17-May-25 | RCB | KKR | Bengaluru | 7:30 PM |
