Two brilliant exhibitions of pace bowling from Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar powered defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) to a nine-wicket win over Delhi Capitals (DC) at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday. With this win, RCB registered their sixth victory in eight matches, taking their tally to 12 points and climbing to second place on the points table. It was DC’s fifth defeat of the season; with three wins, they remain seventh. RCB opted to field first, and superb spells from Hazlewood (4/12) and Bhuvneshwar (3/5) reduced DC to 75 all out in 16.3 overs. Abishek Porel (30) and David Miller (19) offered some resistance. In reply, RCB’s batters came out all guns blazing, as Jacob Bethell (20 off 10 balls), Devdutt Padikkal (34* off 13 balls) and Virat Kohli (25* off 13 balls) sealed the chase in just 6.3 overs.
Top lowest totals in IPL history
1. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 49 vs Kolkata Knight Riders, 2017
2. Rajasthan Royals – 58 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2009
3. Rajasthan Royals – 59 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2023
4. Delhi Daredevils – 66 vs Mumbai Indians, 2017
5. Delhi Daredevils – 67 vs Kings XI Punjab, 2017
6. Kolkata Knight Riders – 67 vs Mumbai Indians, 2008
7. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 68 vs Sunrisers Hyderabad, 2022
8. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 70 vs Chennai Super Kings, 2019
9. Royal Challengers Bengaluru – 70 vs Rajasthan Royals, 2014
10. Kings XI Punjab – 73 vs Rising Pune Supergiant, 2017
11. Kochi Tuskers Kerala – 74 vs Deccan Chargers, 2011
12. Delhi Capitals – 75 vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru, 2026
Chasing 75, RCB began cautiously, managing fours from Kohli and Bethell in the first two overs and collecting only 13 runs.
In the third over, Bethell launched an attack on Kyle Jamieson, smashing him for two back-to-back sixes. However, Jamieson had the last laugh, dismissing Bethell for an 11-ball 20, which included a four and two sixes, courtesy of a fine boundary catch by T. Natarajan. RCB were 26/1 in 2.5 overs.
In the fifth over, Devdutt Padikkal dimmed Jamieson’s lights, striking two fours and two sixes to take RCB to 60 in five overs.
Kohli sealed the win with two consecutive sixes, completing his 9,000 IPL runs. RCB finished at 77/1 in 6.3 overs, with Devdutt (34* off 13 balls, with three fours and three sixes) and Kohli (25* off 13 balls, with one four and two sixes) unbeaten.
Earlier, scorching Powerplay spells from Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar helped RCB bundle out the hosts for just 75 in 16.3 overs.
DC were down and out at 8/6 inside the first four overs. A valuable knock from Abishek Porel (30 off 33 balls, with three fours), along with brief cameos from David Miller (19) and Kyle Jamieson (12), gave the innings some respectability and helped DC avoid RCB’s record for the lowest-ever IPL total (49).
Put in to bat, DC suffered an immediate blow as Bhuvneshwar uprooted debutant Sahil Parakh‘s middle stump for a two-ball duck. DC were 0/1 in 0.2 overs.
In the next over, Hazlewood struck twice, removing KL Rahul, who top-edged a pull to Jitesh Sharma for one, while Sameer Rizvi nicked his first ball to the wicketkeeper. DC slipped to 2/3 in 1.2 overs.
Tristan Stubbs briefly eased the pressure with a four, but in the following over he poked at a Bhuvneshwar outswinger and was caught by Devdutt Padikkal at slip for a three-ball five. Skipper Axar Patel followed soon after, adjudged caught behind for a three-ball duck. DC endured a horror start at 7/5 in 2.4 overs.
Hazlewood struck again in the third over, as Nitish Rana gloved a bumper to Padikkal at gully. DC were reeling at 9/6 in 3.5 overs.
At the end of the Powerplay, DC were 13/6, with Miller and Porel at the crease. This was only the second instance in IPL history of a team losing six wickets inside the Powerplay, after Kochi Tuskers Kerala’s 29/6 against Deccan Chargers in 2011, according to CricViz.
Miller and Porel attempted a recovery, taking a boundary each off Rasikh Salam Dar in the seventh over. Miller struck two fours in the ninth, but Rasikh had the final say, inducing a toe-end catch to Jitesh Sharma. Miller departed for an 18-ball 19, with DC at 43/7 in nine overs.
At the halfway mark, DC were 46/7, with Porel (18*) and Jamieson (1*) unbeaten.
Jamieson struck a six over deep square leg to bring up DC’s 50 in 10.2 overs and also hit a four, but he was soon trapped lbw by Krunal Pandya for a 13-ball 12. DC slipped to 62/8 in 12.3 overs.
Suyash Sharma bowled Kuldeep Yadav through the gate for a 10-ball three, leaving DC at 71/9 in 15.4 overs. Hazlewood then ended Porel’s resistance on 33-ball 30, wrapping up the innings at 75 in 16.3 overs.
Hazlewood’s 4/12 in 3.3 overs and Bhuvneshwar’s 3/5 in three overs were the standout performances, while Krunal Pandya, Rasikh Salam Dar and Suyash Sharma picked up one wicket each
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