Delhi Capitals (DC) defeated Royal Challengers Bengaluru by 6 wickets in the 24th match of IPL 2025, held at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. A well-balanced knock by KL Rahul and his 100-run partnership with Stubbs turned the match in Delhi's favour. Bowlers dominated the game in the first innings and continued to trouble the batsmen until KL Rahul came to the crease. He turned the tide. Stubbs also did his job perfectly.
Salt's Explosive Start
After winning the toss, Delhi opted to bowl first. RCB openers Phil Salt and Virat Kohli walked out to bat. Mitchell Starc opened the bowling with a tight first over. From the other end, Axar Patel faced pressure as both Kohli and Salt took charge.
Soon after, Salt launched a brutal attack on Starc in the third over. He smashed a six, followed by consecutive boundaries. Then, he capitalised on a no-ball with another six. RCB raced to 53/0 in just three overs. Kohli joined the assault with a six off Patel in the next over. However, Salt got run out shortly after. He scored a quickfire 37 off 17 balls
RCB Loses Momentum
Devdutt Padikkal came in at No. 3. Vipraj Nigam bowled a tight fifth over, giving away just 2 runs. Mukesh Kumar dismissed Padikkal in the sixth over. Patidar entered but couldn’t score as Mukesh delivered a maiden over. RCB were at 64/2 after 6 overs.
Kohli Falls, Pressure Builds
Kohli hit a six but got out on the last ball of the 7th over of Vipraj. RCB were at 74/3. Livingstone came next. Patidar hit a six in the 8th over. Kuldeep Yadav gave away only 2 runs in the 9th over. Between the 3rd and 9th overs, RCB managed just 36 runs and lost 3 wickets.
Delhi's Bowlers Dominate
In the 10th over, Mohit Sharma dismissed Livingstone. Jitesh Sharma walked in but struggled. Starc returned for the 11th and allowed only three runs. Patidar’s boundary in the 12th over took RCB past 100. However, Kuldeep struck again in the 13th, removing Jitesh Sharma. Krunal Pandya came to bat but didn’t last long. Kuldeep dismissed Patidar in the 15th over for 25. RCB were 117/6 with Tim David now at the crease.
Tim David Innings
Vipraj removed Krunal Pandya in the 18th over, which cost only two runs. However, David shifted gears in the 19th over by smashing two sixes and a four off Axar. He started the final over with another six, guiding RCB to a respectable 163/7. Tim David remained unbeaten on 37 off 20, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar stayed not out on 1.
Early Collapse for Delhi
In reply, Faf du Plessis and Jake Fraser-McGurk opened for DC. Bhuvneshwar bowled a tight first over, giving away just one run. Yash Dayal struck in the next over, removing Faf early. DC were 9/1 after two overs. Abhishek Porel joined but fell in the third over. KL Rahul walked in at No. 4.
Porel and Rahul looked to build a stand, rotating strike and hitting occasional boundaries. Yet, Bhuvneshwar struck again in the fifth over, dismissing Porel. Axar Patel came in, but DC were already struggling at 31/3 after five overs. In the sixth, Axar managed a boundary as DC reached 39/3.
Axar hit a top-edge six in the 8th over but lost his wicket to Suyash Sharma soon after. Stubbs came in at No. 6. DC reached 66/4 at the halfway mark, with Rahul on 29 and Stubbs on 4.
Rahul and Stubbs Turn the Game
Rahul attacked Krunal and Livingstone in the 12th and 13th overs. He reached his half-century in the 14th over. In the 15th, DC brought up 100 and a 50-run stand between Rahul and Stubbs. Rahul hammered Hazlewood for 22 runs in that over. DC were 121/4 after 15 overs.
Finish in Style
Stubbs hit big in the 16th and 17th overs. Rahul finished the game in the 18th with a six. The duo also completed a 100-run stand. Rahul stayed unbeaten on 93 from 53 balls. Stubbs remained not out on 38 from 23. DC chased down the target comfortably.