Before a dust storm swept across the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi Capitals had already been dismantled by a devastating new-ball spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, who combined to take seven wickets. At one stage, DC were staring at the possibility of their lowest-ever total, slipping to 8 for 6. A fighting 30 from Abishek Porel, however, ensured Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s unwanted record of 49 all out remained intact.
Delhi eventually limped to 75, a target that RCB chased down comfortably within a few overs. The contrast was stark, as DC had posted 264 in their previous game just two days earlier.
Questionable Decisions Hurt DC
Team selection proved costly for Delhi Capitals. The decision to field 18-year-old Sahil Parakh raised questions, especially with Prithvi Shaw and Karun Nair available as alternatives.
After a brief exchange with KL Rahul, Parakh faced his first delivery — a gentle outswinger — before being dismissed by a late-swinging yorker on the next ball. The call to introduce him against a high-quality bowling attack backfired.
Delhi also appeared to misread the conditions. Opting for a less experienced lineup against a strong RCB attack did not work in their favour. Abishek Porel, who eventually top-scored, might have been a more suitable early option given his experience against the new ball.
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New-Ball Masterclass from Bhuvneshwar and Hazlewood
Swing was available early, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar made full use of it. After removing Parakh, he continued to trouble the batters, dismissing Tristan Stubbs with an outswinger that found the edge at slip. In the same over, Axar Patel also fell, edging a delivery that moved away slightly.
Bhuvneshwar’s second over was a double-wicket maiden, a rare feat in T20 cricket, as he dominated the powerplay.
At the other end, Josh Hazlewood complemented him perfectly. He dismissed KL Rahul with a sharp bouncer after troubling him with hard lengths, before removing Sameer Rizvi with a fuller delivery. Nitish Rana followed soon after, undone by another well-directed short ball.
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Delhi managed just 13 runs in the first six overs, with the two pacers applying relentless pressure through disciplined lines and lengths.
DC Batting Collapse
Delhi’s batting effort lacked composure and adaptability. Abishek Porel’s innings showed that the surface became easier after the initial phase, but none of the other batters were able to navigate the early challenge.
Several key players failed to capitalise on starts. Sameer Rizvi and Tristan Stubbs, who had contributed in earlier matches, were dismissed playing loose shots. Nitish Rana, coming off two half-centuries, could not make an impact.
David Miller reached 12,000 T20 runs during his innings of 19 but was unable to convert it into a bigger contribution.
RCB Complete Straightforward Chase
With a modest target on the board, the chase was largely a formality for RCB. Jacob Bethell signalled intent early with a boundary and scored a quick 20 off 11 balls before Kyle Jamieson claimed his wicket.
Devdutt Padikkal continued the momentum, while Virat Kohli paced his innings carefully, aiming to stay unbeaten. During the chase, Kohli also became the first player to reach 9,000 runs in IPL history.
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RCB completed the chase with ease, underlining their status as defending champions with a dominant all-round performance.
