Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) gave their all to defend the below-par total of 164 runs, but it was never enough against Delhi Capitals (DC) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium. This marks RCB's second loss at home, as local boy KL Rahul¡ªwho plays for DC¡ªguided his team to a 6-wicket victory, extending their unbeaten run.
DC remains the only team unbeaten so far in the IPL 2025, while RCB is still the only team without a win at home. After smashing a six that secured the victory for DC in 17.5 overs, Rahul animatedly thumped his chest and pointed to the pitch, signaling to the RCB crowd that this was his hometown pitch.
KL Rahul silenced the Chinnaswamy crowd, which had been hopeful after a strong start with the ball. RCB will undoubtedly regret the dropped catch early in Rahul's innings, as it could have changed the game's course. Had RCB skipper Rajat Patidar held onto the catch with DC at 22/2, the result might have been different.?
Once Rahul found his rhythm, he was unstoppable, finishing with an unbeaten 93 off 53 balls, including 7 fours and 6 sixes. Tristan Stubbs (38 off 23) also displayed his class, completing the chase after settling in. With this victory, Delhi Capitals have secured their first-ever four-match winning streak in an IPL season.?
At the post-match presentation, he said, "This is my ground, this is my home, I know this better than anybody else - enjoyed playing here".
Soon after the match, fans took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to praise KL Rahul's innings. His performance trended very high on the platform, with fans calling it "iconic."
One said, "ICONIC, COLD, ONE & ONLY, KL RAHUL."
Another said, "KL Rahul played awesome under pressure at Chinnaswamy."?
One wrote, "KL Rahul, the monster¡ªunstoppable, unshakable, undeniable."?
Another added, "He was here to make a STATEMENT."?
RCB's strong start was quickly derailed after Philip Salt's explosive 37 off 17, as the team sat comfortably at 61/0 in just 3.4 overs. However, Salt¡¯s run-out sparked a rapid collapse, with Devdutt Padikkal (1 off 8) and Virat Kohli (22 off 14) falling soon after.?
Skipper Rajat Patidar managed a modest 25 off 23, but RCB struggled to build any partnerships. Tim David¡¯s late surge (37 off 20) was the only bright spot, helping RCB post a challenging total of 163/7. The pitch, offering turn, particularly for Kuldeep and Vipraj, made the chase difficult for the opposition.?
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Liam Livingstone, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Impact Subs: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh?
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI): Faf du Plessis, Jake Fraser-McGurk, KL Rahul(w), Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel(c), Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Mitchell Starc, Mohit Sharma, Kuldeep Yadav, Mukesh Kumar
Impact Subs: Abishek Porel, Darshan Nalkande, Karun Nair, Sameer Rizvi, Donovan Ferreira
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