Royal Challengers Bengaluru's decision to invest heavily in their bowling attack at the IPL mega auction is already paying off.
Led by Josh Hazlewood, RCB produced a dominant bowling performance to crush Chennai Super Kings by 50 runs -- their first win in Chennai in 17 years.
A look at the best bowling performances.
Josh Hazlewood
RCB's most expensive buy at the auction at Rs 12.50 crore (Rs 125 million), Josh Hazlewood is proving to be worth every rupee.
The Australian pacer could count himself unlucky for not being named Player of the Match after a sensational spell with the new ball.
Bowling on a slow Chepauk surface, Hazlewood used his extra bounce to rip through CSK's top order in his very first over.
Rahul Tripathi got hit high on the bat as he attempted the pull shot as he spooned a simple catch to Phil Salt at square leg.
Three balls later, Ruturaj Gaikwad was also done in the bounce as he failed to control the pull shot and was caught at fine leg for a four-ball duck.
Hazlewood's opening spell was nothing short of extraordinary -- 2/6 in two overs, including nine dot balls.
CSK could never recover from those early wickets and were left reeling on 30/3 in the Powerplay -- the lowest by any team in the first six overs of Powerplay this season.
He later got Ravindra Jadeja's wicket in his final over to finish with impressive figures of 3/21 in his four overs.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar
Making his RCB debut after 11 seasons with Sunrisers Hyderabad, veteran pacer Bhuvneshwar Kumar was at his economical best.
Having missed the first game due to a minor injury, Bhuvneshwar was drafted straight into the playing XI for the second game and immediately made an impact.
Partnering Hazlewood with the new ball, Bhuvneshwar kept things tight, building pressure on the CSK batters in the Powerplay.
After troubling Deepak Hooda a few times, he finally got his reward, getting him caught behind for four.
Despite bowling three overs in the Powerplay, Bhuvneshwar registered excellent figures of 1/20, showcasing his experience and control.
Yash Dayal
Yash Dayal continues to grow into a reliable performer for RCB.
The left-arm pacer followed up the good work of the senior bowlers with a disciplined spell in the middle overs.
After two tight overs, he struck twice in his third over, sealing CSK's fate.
First, he removed the well-set Rachin Ravindra for 41, then cleaned up the dangerous Shivam Dube for 19, both batters bowled off inside edges.
With RCB in complete control, Dayal wasn't even needed at the death, finishing with outstanding figures of 2/18 in three overs.
Liam Livingstone
Liam Livingstone had a quiet outing with the bat, but he made his presence felt with the ball.
The part-time spinner dismissed fellow Englishman Sam Curran for eight in his second over before he got Ravichandran Ashwin in his final over, caught at long-on.
His ability to contribute with the ball adds valuable balance to RCB's side.
Livingstone ended with a respectable 2/28 in four overs, providing crucial breakthroughs in the middle overs.
Noor Ahmad
CSK's standout bowler yet again, Noor Ahmad, continues to outshine his senior CSK teammates -- Ravichandran Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja.
After bagging four wickets in the opening match against the Mumbai Indians, the 20-year-old spinner delivered another strong performance, finishing with 3/36 in four overs.
Ahmad struck in his first over when he got the wicket of the dangerous Phil Salt, courtesy of a magical piece of glovework from the CSK maestro Mahendra Singh Dhoni.
The 20-year-old spinner, constantly receiving inputs from Dhoni, then removed Virat Kohli in the 13th over, his slog sweep finding Rachin Ravindra at deep midwicket.
Ahmad struck another crucial blow in his final over, dismissing RCB's big-hitter Liam Livingstone for 10 -- the third time he has dismissed the Englishman in four T20 meetings.
The Afghan youngster leads the wicket-taking charts in IPL 2025, with seven wickets from two games at an incredible average of 6.8.
Matheesha Pathirana
Matheesha Pathirana, playing his first game of the season, managed to come good after an indifferent start.
After striking Kohli on the helmet with a quick bouncer, he was taken apart by the RCB maestro, who slammed him for a six and four after blow as he went for 16 in his second over followed by 14 in his next.
But the fast bowler redeemed himself with a superb final over, as he dismissed the well-set Rajat Patidar for 51 and then got Krunal Pandya caught at long-on for a duck.
Despite a rough start, he finished with respectable figures of 2/36 in four overs.
Khaleel Ahmed
Khaleel Ahmed looked lively with the new ball as he gave Kohli a lot of problems early on.
The left-arm pacer's first two overs in the Powerplay were quite effective as he conceded 15 runs, getting the ball to move along with some extra bounce.
He was equally tidy at the death, picking up Jitesh Sharma's wicket for 12 to finish with 1/28 in four overs.
Photographs: BCCI
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