Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced a clinical performance on Monday, dispatching Delhi Capitals by nine wickets in a lop-sided contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium. After winning the toss and choosing to bowl, RCB’s opening pair made an immediate impact: Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood kept Delhi under pressure and had the hosts reeling at 8/6 before the end of the Powerplay. As Delhi’s innings crumbled, Virat Kohli shared a light moment with his fellow spinner Suyash Sharma ahead of the 16th over, an exchange that quickly went viral across social media.
The clip shows Kohli in a playful mood, gesturing animatedly while trying to convince Suyash to keep him stationed at slip for the over. Kohli’s request came with a cricketing detail—he pointed out that Kuldeep Yadav was on strike—seemingly treating the fielding arrangement as part of the plan. Suyash, however, didn’t agree to Kohli’s choice and asked him to move elsewhere rather than remain in the slips.
Kohli accepted the decision and shifted toward the leg-side. Jitesh Sharma, RCB’s wicketkeeper, was also seen smiling at the back-and-forth between the captain and the spinner. On the third delivery of the over, Suyash’s adjustment paid off: he dismissed Kuldeep Yadav with a leg-break that gripped and turned sharply, leaving the batter trapped in front of the stumps.
With Delhi’s batting effort already faltering, RCB’s chase never looked in doubt. Opting to bat second, the visitors benefited from a steady start and then accelerated through the middle overs. Hazlewood’s figures of 4/12 and Bhuvneshwar’s 3/5 dismantled the Capitals’ lineup, restricting DC to 75 runs in 16.3 overs. Abishek Porel contributed 30, and David Miller made 19, but their resistance couldn’t change the momentum once the early wickets began to pile up.
RCB then chased the target in emphatic fashion, coming out aggressively to finish at 6.3 overs. Jacob Bethell struck quickly with 20 runs off 10 balls, including a boundary and two maximums. Devdutt Padikkal remained unbeaten on 34 from 13 deliveries, striking three fours and three sixes, while Virat Kohli also ended not out on 25 off 13 balls, again finding the rope with a four and two sixes.
After the match, RCB captain Patidar reflected on the conditions and credited the bowling unit. He said, “Even I am surprised at how the wicket played. All credit to the bowlers – Hazlewood and Bhuvi, the way they bowled in the powerplay. The good thing was we got early wickets, and it kept us in the driving seat.”
