Virat Kohli, Padikkal set up RCB’s 205-run total; Hazlewood’s 4-wicket burst, Dayal’s final over heroics seal 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals
Bengaluru, April 24: Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their home drought in IPL 2025 with a hard-fought 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium, thanks to death-over brilliance by Josh Hazlewood and Yash Dayal.
Set a challenging target of 206, RR were cruising in phases—powered by Yashasvi Jaiswal’s explosive 49 (19) and Dhruv Jurel’s gritty 47 (34)—but a late collapse orchestrated by Hazlewood’s 4/33, including two wickets in two balls, swung the momentum back in RCB’s favour. Dayal defended 17 in the final over, picking up a key wicket to seal the win.
🔥 RCB’s Innings: Kohli, Padikkal Dominate
Earlier, Virat Kohli silenced home critics with a composed 70 off 42 balls, marking his fifth fifty of the season and his first at Chinnaswamy. Partnering with Devdutt Padikkal (50 off 27), the duo stitched a crucial 95-run stand after opener Phil Salt (26) provided the early charge.
Late contributions from Tim David (23 off 15) and Jitesh Sharma (20 off 10)* helped RCB reach a commanding 205/5.
🏏 RR’s Chase: Bright Start, Fading Finish
RR’s chase began with a bang as Jaiswal tore into the RCB attack, but his dismissal at 49 slowed the momentum. Riyan Parag (22) and Nitish Rana (28) kept the scoreboard ticking, but RCB’s spinners applied brakes in the middle overs.
The death overs were dominated by Hazlewood, who removed Hetmyer, Jurel, and Archer, while Dayal cleaned up Shubham Dubey and ran out Hasaranga to ensure RCB defended the total with poise.
📊 Match Summary
- RCB: 205/5 in 20 overs
(Kohli 70, Padikkal 50; Sandeep Sharma 2/45) - RR: 194/9 in 20 overs
(Jaiswal 49, Jurel 47; Hazlewood 4/33)
RCB now move to third place on the table with 12 points, while RR slump to their fifth consecutive loss, sitting in eighth place.