Delhi/Patiala, 28 April (Sports Desk)
Date: April 27, 2025
Venue: Arun Jaitley Stadium, New Delhi
Result: Royal Challengers Bengaluru won by 6 wickets (with 9 balls remaining)
Player of the Match: Krunal Pandya (RCB) – 73 off 47 balls
Points Table Impact: RCB moved to the top with 14 points from 10 matches; DC remained second with 12 points from 9 matches.
Match Summary
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) delivered a clinical performance to defeat Delhi Capitals (DC) by 6 wickets in Match 46 of IPL 2025 at Arun Jaitley Stadium on April 27, 2025. DC, batting first after RCB won the toss and opted to bowl, posted 162/8 in 20 overs, with KL Rahul (41 off 39) and Tristan Stubbs (34 off 18) leading the scoring. Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/22) and Josh Hazlewood (2/36) starred with the ball for RCB, restricting DC on a dry pitch offering turn. In reply, RCB faced early trouble at 26/3 but were steered to victory by a 119-run partnership between Virat Kohli (51 off 47) and Krunal Pandya (73 off 47). Tim David’s explosive 15 off 5 balls sealed the chase in 18.3 overs, marking RCB’s sixth straight away win, a first in IPL history.
Detailed Match Report
Toss and Team Composition
- Toss: RCB won the toss and elected to bowl first, with captain Rajat Patidar citing a favorable batting pitch expected to remain consistent, suiting their chasing preference.
- Pitch Report: The Arun Jaitley Stadium pitch (66m and 58m square boundaries, 71m straight) was dry with minimal grass, offering 4.1 degrees of turn but little help for pacers, suggesting a competitive but not high-scoring game.
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Playing XI: Virat Kohli, Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (c), Jitesh Sharma (wk), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal, Suyash Sharma.
- Delhi Capitals Playing XI: Abishek Porel, Faf du Plessis, Karun Nair, KL Rahul (wk), Axar Patel (c), Tristan Stubbs, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar.
watch…….Lowest Team Scores in IPL History: RCB’s Unwanted Record Tops the List Delhi Capitals Innings: 162/8 (20 overs)
DC struggled to build momentum after being asked to bat, losing early wickets before a late flourish from Stubbs lifted them to 162/8. KL Rahul’s steady 41 anchored the innings, but regular wickets kept the scoring in check.
- Key Performances:
- KL Rahul: Scored 41 off 39 balls (4 fours, 1 six), stabilizing the innings after early losses but falling to Krunal Pandya post-timeout, holing out to long-on.
- Tristan Stubbs: Blasted 34 off 18 balls (3 fours, 1 six), adding 42 runs in the last three overs to boost DC’s total. Dismissed on the penultimate ball by Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
- Abishek Porel: Contributed 14 off 12 balls, hitting two sixes off Bhuvneshwar Kumar before gloving a Hazlewood delivery to the keeper.
- Faf du Plessis: Made 22 off 26 balls, struggling for fluency before Krunal Pandya dismissed him after the timeout.
- Fall of Wickets:
- 1/25 (Abishek Porel, 3.4 overs)
- 2/33 (Karun Nair, 4.5 overs)
- 3/70 (Faf du Plessis, 11.2 overs)
- 4/95 (KL Rahul, 13.1 overs)
- 5/109 (Axar Patel, 14.2 overs)
- 6/117 (Ashutosh Sharma, 16.3 overs)
- 7/161 (Tristan Stubbs, 19.5 overs)
- 8/162 (Vipraj Nigam, 19.6 overs)
- RCB Bowling:
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 4-0-22-3, picking up Porel, Ashutosh Sharma, and Stubbs with a stellar death spell, conceding only 8 runs in his last two overs. His 3 wickets took him to 193 IPL scalps, second only to Lasith Malinga.
- Josh Hazlewood: 4-0-36-2, dismissing Porel and Axar Patel, earning the Purple Cap with 18 wickets in 10 matches.
- Krunal Pandya: 4-0-28-1, removing du Plessis and bowling tightly in the middle overs.
- Yash Dayal: 4-0-42-1, trapping Karun Nair but proving expensive at the death.
- Suyash Sharma: 4-0-25-0, maintaining control with no boundaries in his last 24 balls, building pressure.
- Extras: 6 (4 wides, 2 leg byes)
- Powerplay: DC scored 42/2 in 6 overs, with Porel’s aggression countered by Hazlewood and Dayal’s breakthroughs.
DC’s innings saw a sluggish start, with only 42 runs in the powerplay. Rahul and du Plessis steadied things briefly, but Krunal Pandya’s dismissal of du Plessis post-timeout triggered a middle-order wobble. Stubbs’ late 34, including 42 runs in the final three overs, gave DC a fighting total, though Bhuvneshwar’s death bowling ensured it remained below par on a pitch offering turn but no significant pace assistance.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings: 163/4 (18.3 overs)
RCB’s chase of 163 got off to a rocky start, slumping to 26/3 in the powerplay, but a match-defining 119-run fourth-wicket stand between Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya turned the tide. Tim David’s quickfire 15 sealed the victory with 9 balls to spare.
- Key Performances:
- Krunal Pandya: Played a match-winning 73 off 47 balls (6 fours, 2 sixes), anchoring the chase and accelerating with Kohli. His composed knock earned him Player of the Match.
- Virat Kohli: Scored 51 off 47 balls (4 fours, 1 six), steadying RCB after early losses before falling to Dushmantha Chameera in the 18th over, caught at long-on by Mitchell Starc.
- Tim David: Blasted 15 off 5 balls (3 fours, 1 six), finishing the game with a boundary off a Mukesh Kumar full toss, including a no-ball boundary and a six in the 18th over.
- Jacob Bethell: Made 1 off 4 balls on debut, falling early to Axar Patel.
- Fall of Wickets:
- 1/5 (Jacob Bethell, 1.2 overs)
- 2/17 (Devdutt Padikkal, 2.5 overs)
- 3/26 (Rajat Patidar, 4.1 overs)
- 4/145 (Virat Kohli, 17.1 overs)
- DC Bowling:
- Axar Patel: 4-0-24-1, dismissing Bethell and bowling economically to pressure RCB early.
- Mukesh Kumar: 3.3-0-35-1, removing Padikkal but leaking runs in the death, including a no-ball and 14 runs in his final over.
- Dushmantha Chameera: 3-0-22-1, dismissing Kohli with a slower ball but unable to defend in the 18th over.
- Kuldeep Yadav: 4-0-28-0, going wicketless but maintaining control with a googly-heavy spell.
- Mitchell Starc: 4-0-29-1, removing Patidar but proving expensive in the powerplay.
- Extras: 7 (5 wides, 2 no-balls)
- Powerplay: RCB managed 35/3 in 6 overs, struggling against DC’s spin and pace.
RCB’s chase began disastrously, with Bethell, Padikkal, and Patidar falling cheaply to leave them at 26/3. Kohli, batting at his home ground, and Krunal Pandya adopted a cautious approach, rebuilding with singles and occasional boundaries. Their 119-run stand over 81 balls neutralized DC’s spinners, with Krunal targeting Kuldeep and Axar for boundaries. Kohli’s fifty came off 45 balls, but his dismissal by Chameera in the 18th over (145/4) brought Tim David to the crease. David’s aggressive 15, including a six and two fours off Mukesh Kumar, wrapped up the chase in 18.3 overs, with a boundary off a full toss sealing the win.
Key Moments and Analysis
- RCB’s Bowling Discipline:
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s 3/22, including two death-over wickets, restricted DC to 162/8, with only 20 runs conceded in the last four overs alongside Hazlewood’s key scalps.
- Suyash Sharma’s boundary-less 24 balls built pressure, allowing RCB to choke DC’s middle order.
- Krunal Pandya’s dismissal of du Plessis post-timeout shifted momentum, preventing DC from accelerating earlier.
- RCB’s Early Batting Collapse:
- Kohli-Pandya Partnership:
- The 119-run stand between Kohli and Krunal was the game’s turning point, with Krunal’s aggressive play complementing Kohli’s anchor role. Their partnership survived DC’s spin threat and set up a manageable 58 runs needed off the last 36 balls.
- Krunal’s 73 included key boundaries off Kuldeep, while Kohli’s 51 ensured RCB stayed ahead of the required rate.
- Tim David’s Finishing:
- Historical Context:
- RCB’s sixth consecutive away win was a first in IPL history, surpassing their previous records and highlighting their road dominance in IPL 2025.
- DC’s loss ended their chance to reclaim the top spot, with Gujarat Titans holding first place.
- RCB lead the head-to-head 19-11 against DC, with this win avenging their 6-wicket loss in Bengaluru on April 10, 2025, where KL Rahul’s 93* had powered DC.
Match Statistics
- Delhi Capitals Innings:
- Total: 162/8 in 20 overs (Run Rate: 8.10)
- Top Scorers: KL Rahul (41 off 39), Tristan Stubbs (34 off 18), Faf du Plessis (22 off 26)
- Key Partnership: 37 runs for the 3rd wicket (Rahul and du Plessis)
- Extras: 6 (4 w, 2 lb)
- RCB Bowling:
- Bhuvneshwar Kumar: 4-0-22-3
- Josh Hazlewood: 4-0-36-2
- Krunal Pandya: 4-0-28-1
- Yash Dayal: 4-0-42-1
- Suyash Sharma: 4-0-25-0
- Royal Challengers Bengaluru Innings:
- Total: 163/4 in 18.3 overs (Run Rate: 8.86)
- Top Scorers: Krunal Pandya (73 off 47), Virat Kohli (51 off 47), Tim David (15 off 5)
- Key Partnership: 119 runs for the 4th wicket (Kohli and Pandya)
- Extras: 7 (5 w, 2 nb)
- DC Bowling:
- Axar Patel: 4-0-24-1
- Mukesh Kumar: 3.3-0-35-1
- Dushmantha Chameera: 3-0-22-1
- Mitchell Starc: 4-0-29-1
- Kuldeep Yadav: 4-0-28-0
- Venue Notes:
