Krunal Pandya grounds out six-wicket victory for Royal Challengers Bengaluru to send them top of the table after spinners restrict Delhi Capitals to a low total on a sluggish wicket.
The buildup to this game was dominated by the homecoming of arguably the greatest cricketer this city has ever produced. Even as the expectant, boisterous crowd of the capital city continued to roar his name, it was impossible not to reduce the former Indian captain’s 47-ball 51 to a well-anchored supporting role at best. It was Krunal Pandya on whose shoulders Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) marched to a sixth successive away victory to defeat the Delhi Capitals by six wickets here on Sunday.
They go top of the table with 14 points, their team coming together well, and their playoff chances now all but certain.
Clawing themselves back
If DC felt they had a chance in defending their meagre total of 162 following a crucial late cameo from Tristan Stubbs, on a sluggish wicket where the ball was both turning and getting stuck in, with a three-pronged spin attack, RCB’s struggles to tame spin in the powerplay certainly would have heightened those expectations.
Jacob Bethell had made an exciting IPL debut, after replacing Phil Salt in the lineup, before he fell to Axar Patel in the third over. Devdutt Padikkal would chop the ball onto his stumps a few balls later, and a mixup between Kohli and skipper Rajat Patidar would see the latter depart after being run out too.
Delhi Capitals team celebrates the run out of Royal Challengers Bangalore batsman Rajat Patidar during Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals IPL match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA 27 04 2025.
At 26/3 within the first five overs, RCB looked in trouble, but they were dragged out of it through a partnership between Kohli and Krunal Pandya. The allrounder from Baroda, it must be said, may well have played the ugliest match-winning innings in this tournament. He heaved, cut, mishit, remonstrated with himself, avoided dismissal purely through bad timing and a dropped catch.
At the same time, he advanced through the gears and complemented Kohli’s anchor role correctly, finding boundaries at the right time (especially against the spinners) to finish his innings with an unbeaten 47-ball 73. It may not have been pleasing to the eye, but had he not persevered, and stayed till a couple of late big hits from Tim David sealed the victory, RCB may have struggled to get to the finish line.
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Spin squeeze
There may have been plenty of anticipation for Kohli’s return to his hometown, but it would be another Delhi boy – an unheralded, unconventional leg-spinner yet to make his first-class debut – who would make the impact for RCB.
Suyash Sharma’s figures 0/22 do not quite tell the story of how he befuddled DC’s batters into failing to read anything that the 21-year-old threw at them, varying his deliveries and keeping his length tight, frustrating DC’s faltering batting lineup with his consistency.
After Abhishek Porel, who found the middle of the bat to tonk a few and make an 11-ball 28, departed, DC displayed no bite in the first innings. The rustiness showed for Faf du Plessis, making his comeback from a groin injury, who was tentative in his shotmaking and struggling for timing.
Royal Challengers Bangalore celebrate the wicket of Faf du Plessis during Royal Challengers Bangalore and Delhi Capitals IPL match at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Sunday. EXPRESS PHOTO BY PRAVEEN KHANNA 27 04 2025.
A curious kind of partnership kicked off between KL Rahul and him. This surface may have been a tad sluggish, but on this batting-friendly small ground, boundaries mean everything. Instead, the two IPL veterans would combine for one boundary in a partnership that lasted 31 balls, and when Axar Patel would replace Du Plessis after the South African’s ill-made 26-ball 22, results would not alter drastically. And Suyash was at the forefront of the squeeze from RCB in the middle overs, alongside the wiles of Krunal, and crucial wickets from Buvanehwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood.
By the time Bhuvaneshwar – the only RCB bowler to be milked for runs at the start of the innings – sent DC’s impact player Ashutosh Sharma’s middle stump flying in the 17th over, having already got Rahul caught at long off a few balls prior, the home team’s batting charge was all but over, left teetering at 120/6. By the time Bhuvaneshwar had Stubbs caught at point from the penultimate ball of the innings, the home team had been handed a reprieve of hope.
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The South African drove with a straight bat, pulled hard, upper cut and reverse-ramped his way to an 18-ball 34 that allowed DC something to cling to.
There had been hope shortly, but DC were always 15-20 runs short here. Two losses in three, and the only victory via Super Over, shows that the team are yet to accurately assess the conditions at their traditional home patch, where they still have to play two of their next five games. It may spell trouble for the franchise that started this tournament so brightly.
