2 weeks Ago By Shashank Kishore
Royal Challengers Bengaluru 205 for 5 (Kohli 70, Padikkal 50, Sandeep 2-45) beat Rajasthan Royals 194 for 9 (Jaiswal 49, Jurel 47, Hazlewood 4-33, Krunal 2-31) by 11 runs At some point, you'd think the toss gods would show Royal Challengers Bengaluru a little mercy at home. But once again, the coin turned its back on Rajat Patidar. This time, though, the bad luck ended right there as they posted 205 for 5, their highest score at home so far.
For all that, another heartbreak loomed, but RCB turned it around sensationally to clinch their first home win - and perhaps their most dramatic win at any venue - of IPL 2025. The losing side were Rajasthan Royals, who came into this contest having let back-to-back games slip out of their control in the final over. Their tension seemed to have defused when Dhruv Jurel, having scratched his way to 18 off 23, found his hitting range, and when he and Shubham Dubey ransacked 22 off Bhuvneshwar Kumar in the 18th over, the equation came down to 18 off 12.
Then came Josh Hazlewood . He was ice-cold in the moment, producing a masterful 19th over of unhittably steep bounce - conceding just one run and taking two wickets, of Jurel and Jofra Archer in successive balls. It was left to Yash Dayal, the same man who had held his nerve in a now-legendary last over to deliver their previous home win, against Chennai Super Kings last season.
And he delivered as RR lost by 11 runs having had the chase in their grasp for so long. The M Chinnaswamy Stadium erupted. RCB had finally found their voice at home and, with it, a long-overdue win that put them in the top three.
For RR, this was a fifth straight loss that left them on the brink. Hazlewood's knockout blows With 17 needed off 10, Hazlewood conjured a moment of magic--a pin-point wide yorker that Dhruv Jurel shaped to scythe but appeared to miss. With little conviction, Patidar opted for a caught-behind review.
Technology confirmed what only Jurel might have known--a faint under-edge that carried low to Jitesh Sharma. A seemingly innocuous dot turned into a game-changing strike. Jurel, who had weathered a slow start and was just beginning to ignite, walked back, and with him went Royals' best hope.
But Hazlewood wasn't done. Next ball, he cranked up a hard-length ball that cramped Jofra Archer for room. It was as if Archer had been served a dish of his own making, cold.
The ball ballooned to cover, where Patidar pouched it gleefully. If Hazlewood's final over, the 19th, was theatre, his penultimate over was no less telling. Having seen balls angled across the left-handers disappear, he went around the wicket to Shimron Hetmyer and pounded the surface with venom.
Hetmyer tried to nudge him away but only managed a feather of an inside edge through to Jitesh. Only six runs came off that over, the 17th, and RCB's grip was tightening. Krunal tightens the screws Long before the chaos of the death overs, RR were cruising.
Yashasvi Jaiswal had lit the Chinnaswamy up with a power-packed 49 off 19, and Nitish Rana was stroking it with finesse. At 110 for 2 in nine overs, the chase looked like it was on autopilot. It's here that Krunal Pandya was summoned and he delivered a breakthrough first ball when Riyan Parag, looking to muscle a slog sweep, only managed a top edge that settled into Jitesh's gloves.
At the other end, young Suyash Sharma was equally impressive. Mixing up quick, skiddy legbreaks with the odd wrong'un, he kept the pressure on. RR managed just one boundary from the tenth to the 13th overs.
Under rising pressure, Rana went for a release shot in the 14th, only for Bhuvneshwar to pluck a catch on the second attempt at short fine leg. Krunal now had figures of 3-0-19-2. The strangle was on.
Kohli, Padikkal fuel RCB Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal laid a strong foundation after Phil Salt's scratchy 26 off 23, while a late blitz from Tim David and Jitesh Sharma lifted RCB to 205 for 5. Kohli overcame a streaky start to get to a composed fifty in 32 balls. His early duel with a fiery Archer was particularly thrilling.
Meanwhile, Padikkal, dropped twice, made the most of his reprieves to notch up a second straight half-century. Just as the platform was set for a lift-off, RR struck back, removing Kohli, Padikkal, and Rajat Patidar in quick succession. But David and Jitesh picked off 42 runs in just 19 balls to cap the innings with a flourish.
In a match that swung wildly from phase to phase, those closing overs turned out to be the difference between a defendable total and yet another heartbreak..
