After 18 seasons of the IPL, Royal Challengers Bengaluru are finally looking like a settled outfit as they defeated the Delhi Capitals on Sunday to take the top spot in IPL Points Table. In the last match between these franchises, KL Rahul had turned the tables on RCB at their home ground and Virat Kohli along with Krunal Pandya paid back in style on Sunday.
After helping DC to chase down the total of 163 runs in Chinnaswamy, Rahul had made a signature ‘Kantara’ like celebration that signalled ‘This is my ground’. Notably, apart from being the home ground for RCB, Chinnaswamy is also the ground where Rahul has played most of his cricket representing Karnataka in domestic cricket.
After RCB’s payback on Sunday, Kohli teased the batter with his celebration before bursting into laughter, signalling it was a gesture made in good faith.
Virat Kohli helps RCB in tricky run chase:
Chasing down a total of 162 runs in 20 overs, RCB lost three early wickets in less than four overs. However, Virat Kohli (51) stepped up to the occasion along with Krunal Pandya (73) to take their team to the winning total with relative ease in the end.
After the match, Kohli also decoded the strategy behind the run chase, “It was a top win, especially looking at the surface. This wicket played very differently to the other games. Whenever there is a chase on I keep checking with the dugout if we are on course, what is my role etc. Krunal.. today was his day. We were waiting for him to come into the tournament with the bat. Who are the bowlers to target. I try and ensure I don’t stop my singles and doubles and combine with the occasional boundary,”
Notably, Kohli has also now surpassed Suryakumar Yadav to become the highest run-scorer in IPL 2025. The 36-year-old has scored 443 runs in 10 matches so far at an average of 62.28 and a strike rate of 138.87. The veteran batter has hit six half-centuries this year, with a highest score of 73 not out.
