An extraordinary rescue effort led by Rajat Patidar’s 63 off 40 balls and a late flurry from the lower order at last didn’t deliver the finish Royal Challengers Bengaluru were after. In Guwahati, Rajasthan Royals found the answer in the chase as Vaibhav Sooryavanshi struck 78 off 26, steering the hosts to a comfortable six-wicket victory with two overs remaining. Dhruv Jurel remained unbeaten on 81 from 43 deliveries to guide RR home after his century stand with Sooryavanshi, as the defending team extended its unbeaten run to four matches in IPL 2026.
RCB’s 200-plus blueprint and the turning points
Bengaluru posted 201/8 in their 20 overs, thanks largely to a measured recovery followed by a late acceleration that kept them on the right side of the scoreboard.
- Setback early: RCB lost Phil Salt on the very first ball of the innings, with Jofra Archer striking to unsettle the top.
- Powerplay steadiness: Virat Kohli held the innings together, producing a 10-ball 22 while adding 45 runs in quick time with Devdutt Padikkal.
- Kohli’s acceleration: Kohli struck the boundary seven times in his 16-ball stay, but the momentum shifted when his wicket fell—RCB slid from 45/1 in the third over to 76/5 by the ninth.
- How they reached a defendable total: Patidar kept one end anchored through the turbulence, and a late cameo from Venkatesh Iyer helped maintain tempo as RCB continued to drain overs.
Patidar’s late thrust and the push past 200
With the innings already under pressure, RCB’s surge came in the middle-to-end overs, where Patidar’s aggression and an impact finishing over swung the game towards Bengaluru.
- Big over surge: Patidar attacked in the 15th over, smashing a couple of sixes off Nandre Burger.
- Bishnoi treated similarly: Patidar also punished Ravi Bishnoi, reaching a 35-ball half-century in the process.
- When the innings was dented: Sandeep Sharma removed Patidar, threatening to trim RCB’s ceiling further.
- Impact-sub finishing: RCB then used a batting Impact Sub to take on the pacer in the final over, scoring 21 runs to ensure the total crossed 200.
- Bowling figures: Rajasthan’s attack returned key breakthroughs—Ravi Bishnoi 2/32, Jofra Archer 2/33, and Brijesh Sharma 2/37.
Sooryavanshi’s 26-ball blitz and Jurel’s match-winning control
Chasing 201/8, Rajasthan Royals looked composed early and turned decisive quickly, with Sooryavanshi taking the game away from Bengaluru during the powerplay phase.
Sooryavanshi’s dominance in the Powerplay
- Boundary machine: The 15-year-old produced an innings packed with boundaries and sixes.
- Powerplay impact: Of the 97 runs RR scored in the Powerplay, Sooryavanshi alone contributed 57 in just 18 deliveries.
- Early support for Jurel: Until the fifth over, Jurel had faced only four balls and still added three runs to a 52-run stand with Sooryavanshi.
- Targets crossed: Sooryavanshi struck past both Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood.
- Signature over: The fourth over stood out—after a sequence of boundaries, a short ball from the Australian was dispatched over deep square leg, forcing an early bowling change by Bengaluru.
Jurel’s finishing job after the platform
- From 3 off 4 to control: Jurel countered the pressure by taking on Abhinandan Singh in a last Powerplay spell, moving from 3 off 4 to 27 not out from a 10-ball chase.
- Defending 200 without Suyash Sharma: Bengaluru’s task was always going to be difficult because they had to adjust without Suyash Sharma and were pushed into a batting Impact Sub during the chase.
- Staying out of trouble: Even when hiccups arrived in the middle overs, Jurel prevented Bengaluru from regaining momentum.
- Key wickets and Jurel’s response: RR lost Sooryavanshi and Shimron Hetmyer off successive deliveries, and then Riyan Parag was dismissed in the next over—but Jurel kept the hunt on track.
- Winning partnership: He stitched an unbroken 68-run stand with Ravindra Jadeja to complete the chase.
- Chase result: RR finished at 202/4 in 18 overs, with Jurel 81* off 43 and Sooryavanshi 78 off 26.
- Bengaluru’s bowling: Krunal Pandya produced 2/30, while Josh Hazlewood grabbed 2/44.
What it means and what comes next
With this win, Rajasthan Royals preserved their unbeaten form and also stopped RCB’s own unbeaten run.
- RCB’s next fixture: They travel from east to west to face Mumbai Indians at the Wankhede on Sunday (April 12).
- RR’s next fixture: Rajasthan head south for their clash against SRH on Monday (April 13).
