They’d conquered it all -- Chepauk, Wankhede, Eden Gardens -- but a win at home remained elusive, until now. Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally broke the jinx at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, clinching their first home victory of the IPL 2025 season with an 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals on Thursday night, April 24. (Match Live Blog | Full Coverage | Points Table)
After winning the toss, Rajasthan Royals’ stand-in skipper Riyan Parag--leading in place of the injured Sanju Samson--opted to bowl first. But it didn’t take long for him to regret that call. RCB openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt came out with intent, lighting up the Chinnaswamy with a solid start.
Salt fell to Wanindu Hasaranga for a brisk 26 off 23, but it was vintage Kohli on display at the other end. The maestro rolled back the years, taking on the pace of Jofra Archer and company to craft a sublime 70 off 42 balls, laced with eight boundaries and two sixes.
At the other end, Devdutt Padikkal played the perfect second fiddle, smashing a 50 off just 27 balls before Sandeep Sharma got him caught by Nitish Rana.
The finishing touches came courtesy of Tim David (23 off 15) and Jitesh Sharma cameo (20 off 10), as RCB powered their way to 205/5. David sacrificed his wicket via a run out in the final over, pushing for an extra run.
Chasing 206, RR came out swinging. Yashasvi Jaiswal was on absolute fire, dismantling the RCB attack with a jaw-dropping 49 off just 19 balls, including 7 boundaries and 3 sixes. And while 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi sparked once more with two sweet sixes, his 14 off 12 ended with a knuckleball from Bhuvneshwar Kumar crashing into the stumps.
But when Josh Hazlewood returned, RCB saw their victory. The Aussie pacer, in full beast mode, got rid of Jaiswal and then delivered a death-over masterclass. With RR needing 17 off the final 11 balls, Hazlewood gave away just one run and took two crucial wickets in 19th over. He removed Dhruv Jurel (47 off 34), who had kept RR in the hunt, and Shimron Hetmyer (11 off 8), who was the Royals’ last real hope.
Krunal Pandya also helped with key breakthroughs, dismissing Nitish Rana (28) and Riyan Parag (22) to bring troubles in RR라이브 바카라 charge.
However, Hazlewood's brilliant spell of 4/33 shut the door on Rajasthan Royals, who finished at 194/9--11 runs short of the target earning him the Player of the Match award.
With this win, RCB end their three-game winless streak at home and move to third place in the points table with 12 points from 9 matches. As for RR, their season went further downhill, apparently ending all hopes for a playoff spot. This was their fifth loss on the trot, and they now sit eighth with just 4 points from 9 matches.
Next in their IPL 2025 campaign, RCB will take on Delhi Capitals on April 27, while, RR will face GT on April 28.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs Rajasthan Royals Playing XIs:
Rajasthan Royals: Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubham Dubey, Nitish Rana, Riyan Parag(c), Dhruv Jurel(w), Shimron Hetmyer, Wanindu Hasaranga, Jofra Archer, Fazalhaq Farooqi, Tushar Deshpande, Sandeep Sharma
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Philip Salt, Virat Kohli, Rajat Patidar(c), Devdutt Padikkal, Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Romario Shepherd, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Yash Dayal
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs Rajasthan Royals Commentary:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Vs Rajasthan Royals Impact Subs:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Dar Salam, Manoj Bhandage, Jacob Bethell, Swapnil Singh
Rajasthan Royals: Vaibhav Suryavanshi, Yudhvir Singh Charak, Akash Madhwal, Kumar Kartikeya, Kunal Singh Rathore
