KL Rahul’s gritty 93 not out guides unbeaten Delhi Capitals to victory over RCB

BENGALURU: The Delhi Capitals (DC) continued their flawless run in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) with a clinical six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday. The Capitals, now second on the points table, remain unbeaten with four wins from four games, thanks to a masterclass from KL Rahul on a tricky surface.

Chasing a target of 164, Delhi were in trouble early, losing both their openers Faf du Plessis (2) and Jake Fraser-McGurk (7) with just 10 runs on the board by the second over. Abhishek Porel followed soon as he was dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar for 7, leaving DC at 30/3. Captain Axar Patel tried to stabilize the innings with 15 off 11 balls but was picked up by Suyash Sharma.

At 58/4 in 8.4 overs, the game seemed to be tilting in RCB’s favour, but KL Rahul, calm and composed, held firm and found the perfect partner in Tristan Stubbs. The pair stitched together a match-winning 111-run stand that not only rescued Delhi from a precarious position but sealed a dominant win with thirteen balls to spare.

Rahul remained unbeaten on 93 off just 53 deliveries, peppered with seven fours and six sixes. He showcased resilience, patience, and impeccable timing on a surface where shot-making wasn’t easy. His fifty came off 37 balls, and as the innings progressed, he shifted gears with remarkable precision.

Stubbs, too, played a vital supporting role. The Capitals crossed the 100-run mark in 14.1 overs and reached 150 in 17.3 overs, wrapping up the chase at 169/4 in 17.5 overs.

For RCB, Bhuvneshwar Kumar was the standout bowler, returning with figures of 2/26. Yash Dayal and Suyash Sharma picked up one wicket each, but the Rahul-Stubbs partnership proved too strong to break.

With this win, Delhi Capitals solidify their position in the top two and remain unbeaten.

Earlier, after winning the toss, Delhi Capitals skipper Axar Patel opted to bowl first against RCB.

Virat Kohli and Phil Salt opened the innings for RCB. Salt took RCB to a flying start, hitting 30 runs to Mitchell Starc in the 3rd over of the innings before getting an unfortunate run out in the 4th over, courtesy of Viraj Nigam’s throw for 37(17).

Devdutt Padikkal joined Virat Kohli in the middle. After a very short stay at the crease, Devdutt Padikkal was also removed by Mukesh Kumar in the last over of the power-play for 1(8).

After hammering DC in the first four overs, Delhi made a comeback with Mukesh Kumar, who bowled a wicket maiden in the 6th over. RCB after the power-play 64/2. Vipraj Nigam gets a dream wicket as he removes Virat Kohli for 22 (14) in the 7th over.

After Kohli’s wicket, RCB skipper Rajat Patidar continued attacking DC bowling with a straight six in the next over, alongside the new batter Liam Livingstone. RCB kept losing wickets at regular intervals.

Mohit Sharma removed Livingstone for 4(6) in the 10th over after the Englishman mistimed a pull shot that went to Ashutosh Sharma at point. Wicketkeeper batter Jitesh Sharma joined Patidar, RCB, after 10 overs, 91/4.

Jitesh Sharma felt cheaply to Kuldeep Yadav’s googly edging it straight up in the air. Jitesh found scoring difficult as he made three runs in 11 balls. Krunal Pandya joined Patidar in the middle. After a fighting inning of 25, captain Rajat Patidar fell to Kuldeep Yadav after trying to slog him over deep mid-wicket but only managed to give a simple catch to KL Rahul in the 15 over.

Krunal Pandya followed his captain soon after falling to Viraj Nigam for 18 (18) in the 18th over. RCB lost all its momentum, which it had gained in the power-play. Tim David took on Axar Patel in the 19th over, smashing him for 17 runs.

David and Bhuvneshwar Kumar played the final two overs. The duo added 38 runs for the 8th wicket. Tim David fought back in the final two overs, giving RCB a defendable score. He smashed 32 runs in the final two overs, which helped RCB finish at 163/7. He remained not out on 37 (20), including two fours and four sixes.

For Delhi Capitals, Kuldeep Yadav (2/17) and Vipraj Nigam (2/18) took two wickets each. Mohit Sharma (1/10) and Mukesh Kumar (1/26) bowled well in the middle overs, and the duo snapped a wicket each. Axar Patel and Mitchell Starc went wicketless.

Brief score: Royal Challengers Bengaluru 163/7 (Phil Salt 37, Tim David 37*; Kuldeep Yadav 2/17) vs Delhi Captials 169/4 (KL Rahul 93*, Tristan Stubbs 38*; Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/26). (ANI)