Delhi Capitals, powered by K L Rahul's aggressive 93 off 53 balls, put it across Royal Challengers Bengaluru and made it four out of four wins in IPL 2025 at the M Chinnaswamy stadium in Bengaluru, on Thursday, April 10 2025.
After posting 163 for 7 on the board, RCB bowlers started off well and picked three early wickets to put DC on the backfoot. However, Rahul, in Tristan Stubbs' company, got DC out of the hole before taking them over the line with 13 balls to spare.
The standout performers for DC with the ball were Kuldeep Yadav (2-17 in 4 overs) and Vipraj Nigam (2-18 in 4 overs). Mukesh Kumar and Mohit Sharma too chipped in with a wicket each.
For RCB, Bhuvneshwar Kumar (2-26), Yash Dayal (1-45) and Suyash Sharma (1-25) were the successful bowlers.
Kuldeep Yadav once again delivered with the ball for DC. On a sticky Chinnaswamy wicket, he used his weapons to good use to take wickets and control the flow of runs. Varying his pace and tossing up the ball, he was rewarded for targeting the stumps.
Introduced into the attack in the 8th over, Kuldeep was right on the money from the word go, conceding just five runs off his first over.
In his second over, the 13th of the RCB innings, he kept it even tighter, giving away just three runs while picking up Jitesh Sharma's wicket.
He sent down a top-spinner which held onto the pitch and bounced a bit. Jitesh, looking to work it onto the on-side, closed the face of the bat and the edge went straight up, offering a simple catch to 'keeper K L Rahul.
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He returned to bowl the 15th over and conceded just five runs while accounting for RCB Skipper Rajat Patidar's prized wicket.
Patidar, who was on 25 off 23 balls, in a desperate effort to accelerate the scoring, went for a wild heave across the line off a tossed-up googly on middle and off. He miscued it as the ball turned away a bit and Rahul moved to his left and pouched it safely.
Kuldeep gave away only four singles in his final over and finished the match with brilliant figures of 4-0-17-2. Another masterclass performance from the wily spinner.
Vipraj Nigam, the 20-year-old leg-spinning all-rounder from Uttar Pradesh, delivered a top-notch performance against RCB's vaunted batting line-up, picking up 2-18, including Virat Kohli's wicket.
Vipraj, who rose to prominence during the UPT20 League, where he played for the Lucknow Falcons, claiming 20 wickets in 11 innings, displayed exemplary grit to bowl in the Powerplay, the 5th over of the RCB innings, when Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal were at the crease. He did not disappoint his captain, conceding just two runs off that over.
His consistency with the ball proved invaluable as he put the brakes on RCB's scoring rate. Apart from using his wrong 'uns and flighted deliveries to good use, Vipraj utilised his variations to create pressure and force RCB batters to play risky shots.
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He bamboozled Kohli with a loopy leg-break in his second over, forcing the maestro to mishit a drive in the air. Mitchell Starc, stationed at long off, took a stunning catch to give the youngster his first wicket of the night. Kohli had hit him for a maximum over long-on in the same over, but the Vipraj had his revenge by sending back the mainstay of RCB batting at a crucial juncture of the match.
He returned to bowl the 16th over and maintained a tight line as he got good grip and turn off the surface, giving away just four singles as Krunal Pandya and Tim David struggle to negotiate him.
Finally, in the 18th over, he got rid of Krunal with a length delivery outside off that turned away a bit. Krunal, looking to go inside out over covers, went with hard hands and the ball flew off the outer half of the bat. Ashutosh Sharma at backward point moved to his left and plucked an easy catch.
Vipraj, who was signed for Rs 50 lakh (Rs 5 million) by DC at the 2025 mega auction, once again showcased his ability to bowl in the Powerplay and in the death. A genuine talent to watch out for!
Defending a modest 163, RCB opened the bowling with Bhuvneshwar Kumar and the veteran pacer started off brilliantly, giving away a single run in his first over. Though middling in pace, he produced swing both ways, and made it hard for DC batters to free their arms.
In his second over, Bhuvi sent back Jake Fraser-McGurk with a 131-kph back of a length ball that seamed away after pitching. Fraser-McGurk attempted to swipe across the line but only managed to edge it behind to be caught by Jitesh Sharma. The Australian fell for Bhuvi's guile and could score only 7 off 6 balls.
In his third over, Bhuvi gave away just one run while dismissing Abishek Porel, who attempted a cross-batted shot off a short of length ball on leg-stump which shaped across. He played the pull shot but got a big top-edge and the ball flew behind to Jitesh who took a tough catch. Impact Sub Porel could add only 7 runs to DC's total.
Bhuvi returned to bowl the 17th over, but by then K L Rahul and Tristan Stubbs had taken DC to the verge of victory. He conceded 12 off his final over and finished the match with impressive figures of 2-26.
Photographs: BCCI
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