Image: RCB beat DC by 6 wickets with Krunal Pandya being the Player of the Match / © News18
For the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, a perfect game of cricket unfolded at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, on April 27, 2025, as they defeated Delhi Capitals by 6 wickets with 9 balls remaining in the 46th match of the IPL 2025 season.
Batting first after losing the toss, Delhi Capitals began aggressively, with Abishek Porel attacking from the outset. Porel struck 28 runs off just 11 balls, hammering two fours and two sixes at a strike rate of over 250. However, his quick innings was cut short by Josh Hazlewood in the fourth over, with DC losing their first wicket at 33/1. Karun Nair, who came in next, couldn’t stay long at the crease, falling for 4 runs from 4 balls, caught by Bhuvneshwar Kumar off Yash Dayal, leaving DC at 44/2 by the end of the fifth over.
Faf du Plessis, returning to the side, tried to anchor the innings but struggled for fluency. His knock of 22 runs from 26 balls was slow by T20 standards and ended when Krunal Pandya dismissed him, caught by Virat Kohli. KL Rahul, batting at number four, tried to rebuild the innings. He scored a steady 41 runs off 39 balls, hitting three fours but failing to accelerate when needed. His innings ended in the 16th over, caught by Bethell off Bhuvneshwar Kumar.
Captain Axar Patel, batting at number five, added 15 runs off 13 balls with a four and a six but was bowled by Hazlewood in the 14th over. Tristan Stubbs played a key role in lifting Delhi’s total towards the end. His aggressive 34 runs came off just 18 balls, including five boundaries and one six, maintaining a high strike rate of 188.88. His dismissal in the final over, caught by Hazlewood off Kumar, ended Delhi’s hopes of crossing 170.
Vipraj Nigam chipped in with a brief cameo, scoring 12 runs from six balls, including a six, before being run out by a combination of Kohli and Kumar. Ashutosh Sharma (2 off 3 balls) and tailenders Starc and Chameera couldn’t contribute significantly in the final moments.
Among the bowlers, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout performer for RCB, taking 3 wickets for 33 runs in his four overs.
Josh Hazlewood picked up two wickets for 36 runs, using his bounce effectively. Krunal Pandya bowled economically and claimed one important wicket, conceding just 28 runs in his full quota. Yash Dayal was expensive, going for 42 runs in four overs, but managed one wicket. Suyash Sharma kept it tight with figures of 4-0-22-0.
Delhi Capitals ended their innings at 162/8, a total that looked slightly below par considering the pitch conditions and the strength of RCB’s batting lineup. Chasing a target of 163 runs, Royal Challengers Bengaluru started their innings with Jacob Bethell and Virat Kohli opening. Bethell provided a brisk start, scoring 12 runs off six balls with a four and a six, but fell early, caught by Karun Nair off Axar Patel’s bowling. Devdutt Padikkal, coming in at number three, was dismissed for a two-ball duck, bowled by Axar Patel in the same over, putting RCB under early pressure at 20/2.
Rajat Patidar, captaining the side, tried to stabilize the innings but was run out by Karun Nair for 6 runs off 6 balls. RCB was reduced to 26/3 within the powerplay, giving Delhi a strong foothold in the game. However, from that position, Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya built a crucial partnership. Kohli played a calculated innings, reaching his half-century in 45 balls. His knock of 51 runs off 47 balls included four boundaries but no sixes. Kohli kept the scoreboard ticking, ensuring no further wickets fell during the middle overs.
Krunal Pandya, batting at number five, showed aggressive intent right from the start. He scored freely against both pace and spin, reaching his fifty in 38 balls, hitting two fours and four sixes during the milestone. The fourth-wicket partnership between Kohli and Krunal added 119 runs and took the game away from Delhi. Kohli eventually fell at 145/4 in the 18th over, caught by Mitchell Starc off Dushmantha Chameera. However, by then, RCB was firmly in control, needing just 18 more runs with ample balls left.
Tim David came in and finished the game in style, scoring an unbeaten 19 runs from only five balls, with three fours and one six, at an astonishing strike rate of 380. Krunal Pandya remained unbeaten at the other end, finishing with 73* runs off 47 balls, including five fours and four sixes. Among Delhi’s bowlers, Axar Patel was the most successful, taking 2 wickets for just 19 runs in his four overs, maintaining an economy rate of 4.75.
Chameera picked up one wicket but conceded 24 runs in three overs. The rest of the bowling attack struggled: Mitchell Starc went for 31 runs in three overs without success, Mukesh Kumar conceded 51 runs in just 3.3 overs, and Kuldeep Yadav was economical but wicketless, finishing with 0/28 from four overs. RCB reached the target comfortably in 18.3 overs, winning the match by 6 wickets with 9 balls to spare. Krunal Pandya was deservedly awarded the Player of the Match for his all-round brilliance with both bat and ball.
Following this victory, Royal Challengers Bengaluru climbed to the top of the IPL 2025 points table with 14 points from 10 matches. They now have a healthy net run rate of +0.521, giving them a strong advantage as the playoffs approach. Delhi Capitals, on the other hand, missed an opportunity to leapfrog to the top.
They remain on 12 points after 9 matches, sitting fourth on the table with a net run rate of +0.482. The result makes the race for the top four tighter, as multiple teams are closely bunched in the points tally with only a few matches remaining in the league stage.
For the fans, the TCNI’s Magic Moment of the Game has to be the dramatic review in the 7.4 over of Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s innings. At that point, RCB was struggling badly at 48/3, chasing 163, with the pressure mounting every ball. Kuldeep Yadav, bowling a clever googly, drew Krunal Pandya forward. The ball spun sharply and struck Krunal on the back pad, appearing plumb to the naked eye. The appeal was immediate, but the on-field umpire stayed unmoved, leading DC skipper Axar Patel to opt for the review.
The situation was so tense that even Krunal thought he was out and began walking off before the ball-tracking was shown. To everyone’s surprise, the replay confirmed that the impact was just outside the off-stump, meaning Krunal survived by the narrowest of margins. It was a massive turning point. Had the decision gone DC’s way, RCB would have been four down inside eight overs with their middle-order under huge pressure. Instead, Krunal used the lifeline brilliantly. Krunal eventually finished unbeaten on 73 off 47 balls, guiding RCB to a crucial win and earning the Player of the Match award for his match-winning performance.
Many won’t agree, but the TCNI’s Hero of the Day has to be Virat Kohli, whose calm and composed innings laid the foundation for Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s crucial win. Chasing 163, RCB was reeling at 26/3 inside just four overs, having lost Jacob Bethell, Devdutt Padikkal, and Rajat Patidar cheaply. At that point, it seemed the match was slipping away from their grasp, with Delhi Capitals on top. Amid the chaos, Kohli stood firm. He understood the situation perfectly and did not try to counterattack recklessly. Instead, he focused on rotating the strike, playing along the ground, and absorbing the pressure.
Kohli’s innings of 51 off 47 balls wasn’t filled with extravagant strokes, but it was filled with control and maturity, hitting four boundaries and keeping the scoreboard ticking. The most crucial aspect of Kohli’s innings was how he allowed Krunal Pandya to settle and then accelerate later in the innings. Together, they stitched a match-winning partnership, ensuring RCB did not lose any more wickets during the crucial middle overs.