From a cautious 3 off 6 balls, Tim David unleashed a stunning counterattack to finish on 65 off just 23 deliveries, producing a phase of T20 hitting rarely witnessed.
David’s reputation as a premier six-hitter was already well established. Across 52 IPL matches, he has cleared the ropes 69 times compared to 58 fours. In IPL 2026, he had faced only 35 balls prior to this game but had already struck nine sixes. Eight of those came in Bengaluru on Sunday during a breathtaking 17-ball stretch that left Chennai Super Kings (CSK) bowlers and spectators at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in disbelief.
When David arrived at the crease, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were scoring at 10.70 runs per over. Rajat Patidar was dominating proceedings, allowing David the space to settle. It took him four balls to open his account, and a bye followed on the second delivery of the 17th over.
What followed was a complete shift in momentum.
At 16.2 overs, RCB were 174 for 3, with David on 3 off 6 and Patidar on 40 off 15. By the time Patidar regained strike, the scoreboard had surged to 237 for 3 after 19 overs. David had raced to 65 off 23, and the crowd was in full celebration mode. In that brief passage, he hammered eight sixes and two fours, transforming what looked like a total around 220 into something closer to 250. CSK were left “shell-shocked”.
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“The real turning point was Tim David in that last part, the acceleration through the last five overs,” CSK head coach Stephen Fleming said after the game. “If you look at the score, we were ahead of them up to about five overs to go [after 15, CSK were 165 for 6, RCB were 153 for 3], and then they just went like a rocket. So that’s really where the game was lost for us. Up until that point, I thought it was a relatively even contest.”
A Missed Opportunity for CSK
There was, however, a moment that could have changed everything. In the 18th over, Anshul Kamboj beat David with a yorker that knocked over his leg stump. His animated celebration was acknowledged by David with a fist bump. Moments later, the stadium siren signalled a no-ball — Kamboj had overstepped.
David capitalised instantly, dispatching the free-hit over long-on for six. He then took apart Jamie Overton in his third over, collecting 30 runs in a sequence of 6, 2, 4, 6, 6, 6. His fifty came off just 21 balls with the second six of that over. The final hit — a towering strike over deep midwicket — travelled 106 metres and landed on the roof. David responded by flexing toward the dressing room, while Virat Kohli rose to his feet amid a roaring Chinnaswamy crowd.
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“I’ve been getting in trouble during training with the boys,” David said about the six. “We have competitions to try and hit them on the roof and we’re obviously on the side pitches. So, to get one during a match out of the middle, help it up on the roof, it was good fun.”
Record-Breaking Finish
David eventually ended unbeaten on 70 off 25 balls, with 68 of those runs coming in the death overs — the highest such tally in IPL history.
“It doesn’t always happen that way. The skipper Rajat was absolutely smoking it and I was taking balls off him so to be able to get us to a score and obviously put a lot of pressure on the opposition, it was super, super fun.”
Preparation Behind the Power
In 2025, David ranked sixth for most sixes, hitting 94 in 46 innings. In the IPL, he struck 14 sixes in 101 balls, playing a key finishing role in RCB’s maiden title triumph. Behind his power-hitting, he pointed to extensive preparation as a major factor.
“It’s a lot of the prep we do over here,” David said. “[I am] very lucky to be able to work with DK [Dinesh Karthik], who’s obviously an incredibly experienced player in these conditions, and we’re working on lots of different stuff. You still keep your basics that you build your strength around and then you try and improve. I’ve been in the IPL [for] a few years now and I think that you also, with that prep and that time, you don’t put as much pressure on yourself to perform.
“I try and enjoy it on the good days and obviously there’s going to be some bad ones but that’s the game and especially when we try and play high-risk, attacking cricket.”
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Praise from Teammates
David’s finishing ability has drawn admiration within the RCB camp. His captain described him as “one of the best finishers I’ve ever seen”, while teammates echoed similar sentiments.
“He’s so confident in his technique and the areas that he wants to hit,” Devdutt Padikkal said about David. “When he goes out there, he’s very clear and he understands which bowler he needs to target and where. When you have those plans in place and that clarity is there in your head, I think it makes it a lot easier.
“I wish I could hit anywhere close to what he hits like but just looking at the technique that he has, you can obviously try and pick up things. It’s all about self-belief and that confidence that he has to go from ball one. If you can emulate that confidence, I think it’ll translate to everyone in the team as well.”
Back from a Difficult Phase
The past few months have not been straightforward for David. He missed the Big Bash League due to a hamstring injury in late December. Although he returned in time for the 2026 T20 World Cup, he managed scores of 0 and 6 in two innings at No. 4 as Australia exited in the group stage.
However, any doubts about his readiness for IPL 2026 were emphatically answered — with one ball still resting on the Chinnaswamy roof as proof.
