Royal Challengers Bengaluru captain Rajat Patidar won the toss and decided to bowl first. Although the former RCB man, Faf Du Plessis, struggled to get a good start, Abhishek Porel hit some big shots against Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He scored 28 runs in 11 balls before getting out to in-form batter Josh Hazlewood. Despite losing Karun Nair early, the Delhi Capitals managed to score 52 runs for 2 wickets.
With KL Rahul and du Plessis still at the crease, DC looked to accelerate. However, tight bowling from Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma didn’t give them many chances to open up. Eventually, the South African legend lost his wicket, putting DC in trouble. Captain Axar Patel hit a few big shots, but the Aussie seamer dismissed him too, leaving DC at 102 for 4 in the 14th over.
When Rahul got out just after the strategic timeout, things looked good for RCB. However, in-form batsmen Tristan Stubbs and Vipraj Nigam changed the game, scoring 41 runs off the last 18 balls. DC set a challenging total of 163. The Capitals’ bowlers came out with strong intent, dismissing debutant Jacob Bethell for 12 runs off 6 balls.
Captain Axar took his 2nd and 3rd wickets of the season, dismissing Devdutt Padikkal for a duck. With the score at 26 for 3, Bengaluru looked in big trouble. Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya steadied the innings, playing safely along the ground and building a partnership. Once Krunal settled in, he started hitting sixes in Dushmantha Chameera’s over and completed his first half-century in nine years.
When 17 runs were needed from 12 balls, Axar made a mistake by giving the over to Mukesh Kumar, even though DC still had Mitchell Starc’s over left. The Capitals paid the price, as Tim David finished the match in that very over, playing a quick cameo of 19 runs off just 5 balls. After this match, Kohli became the new Orange Cap holder, Hazlewood took the Purple Cap, and RCB moved to the top of the points table.
Fans react to RCB’s vengeful victory over Delhi Capitals
Fans couldn’t believe what they had just witnessed. Many praised Krunal for his brilliant innings under pressure. While some criticized Kohli for batting slowly, others defended him, saying he did well to hold his wicket and prevent a collapse. DC captain Axar also came under the radar for his questionable captaincy.
One fan said it was Kohli’s home ground, replying to Rahul’s special “Kantara” celebration in Bengaluru. Another fan was disappointed that Kohli got out before finishing the game, missing the chance for a special celebration. Some fans even claimed that Krunal was a better T20 player than Ravindra Jadeja. Here are some of the top fan reactions:
One user boldly claimed that RCB would be the first team to qualify. Another blamed the DC management for not giving Starc his remaining over in a crucial moment. Some fans praised Hazlewood for another impressive performance with the ball. Overall, fans congratulated the three-time finalists for winning their sixth consecutive away game of the season.