He can play as a wicketkeeper, he can field well, he opens the innings and he finishes the innings. There are very few things which KL Rahul can’t do on a cricket field. Bowling perhaps? KL Rahul’s late onslaught handed Delhi Capitals their fourth consecutive win in the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL), latest against Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) on Thursday.
In fact, it was the first time Delhi Capitals won their first four games in an IPL edition and also happen to be the only unbeaten side in this season so far. Delhi Capitals victory margin of 6 wickets with 13 balls to spare against RCB may make it look an extremely comfortable one. But what transpired on the field was entirely different. Let’s relive the night at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru.
RCB’s batting trilogy
Batting first, RCB smashed 52/0 in the first three overs, 36/0 in the last two overs and an unbelievable 75/7 in the middle 15 overs. RCB opener Phil Salt (37) rattled the visitors, by taking a whopping 30 runs off Mitchell Starc in the third over of the match.
It must be noted that Salt and Starc played a starring role in Kolkata Knight Riders’ title-winning run last year. Tim David (37 not out) provided a good finish at the end, smashing four sixes in the last two overs.
The spin choke
Axar Patel spotted the one chink in RCB’s batting. Five of RCB’s top-six are right-handers and Axar got three spinners to work with, including his own left-arm spin. He brought himself in the second over itself. Although his over costed 16 runs, the Delhi Capitals captain openly revealed the trick he was going to play.
The fourth over of the match opened the floodgates. Phil Salt hit the ball to the cover region, instantly responded to Virat Kohli’s call and started running. Kohli realised the mistake and sent the Englishman back. Salt was half way down the pitch, and slipped while running back. Vipraj Nigam’s throw to KL Rahul did the rest.
A wicket against the run of play. Vipraj Nigam bowled a very good fifth over, conceding just two runs. Mukesh Kumar finished the last over of the powerplay with a wicket-maiden, accounting for Devdutt Padikkal, the one left-hander in the RCB’s top six.
Vipraj Nigam (2/18) and Kuldeep Yadav (2/17) sucked the air out of the RCB batting as well as the boisterous Bengaluru crowd.
Early wickets, rain intervention and KL Rahul
In reply, Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled hard lengths, and were rewarded with three wickets in the powerplay. Bhuvneshwar’s wicket of Abishek Porel took him to third in the all-time leading wicket-takers chart of IPL.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar, now has 186 wickets in IPL, six behind the second-placed Piyush Chawla. Axar Patel got out in the ninth over, with the scoreboard reading 58/4. The next overs fetched just seven runs, with KL Rahul playing four consecutive dot balls off Suyash Sharma. Rahul swiftly moved from a run-a-ball 29 to 51 off 39 balls, collecting boundaries off Krunal Pandya and Liam Livingstone.
The game was still in the balance when Delhi Capitals needed 65 from 36 balls and then came the drizzle. Duckworth-Lewis Stern (DLS) method sheets were passed around the dugout and Rahul showed the final gear.
The former RCB batter smashed 22 runs in the 15th over off Josh Hazlewood to keep Delhi Capitals ahead of the DLS par score. He smashed 42 runs in the last 14 balls faced. Tristan Stubbs (38 not out) played a superb supporting act and the duo added an unbeaten 111 runs for the fifth wicket, the best ever fifth wicket partnership for Delhi Capitals. Rahul fittingly finished the match with a six over fine leg. RCB remain winless at home, losing both their matches.
What’s next?
RCB are playing an away game against Rajasthan Royals in Jaipur on Sunday (April 13). Delhi Capitals are hosting Mumbai Indians on Sunday evening (April 13). It will be the first home game for the unbeaten DC at their primary home venue.
Stay updated on all the action from the IPL 2025. Check the IPL 2025 Schedule, track the latest IPL 2025 Points Table, and follow the top performers with the Orange Cap and Purple Cap.
