Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar delivered a rapid strike with the new ball as defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru swept aside Delhi Capitals by nine wickets in a one-sided Indian Premier League contest at the Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Monday. Chasing a paltry 76 after restricting Delhi to 75 all out in 16.3 overs, RCB never faced real resistance. Devdutt Padikkal finished with 34 and Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 23 as Bengaluru wrapped up the target with 81 balls left, turning the run chase into a quick, emphatic statement.
New-ball damage sets up a one-sided game
RCB’s bowling attack did the heavy lifting early, leaving Delhi to play catch-up from the very start. Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar moved the ball and struck in the opening phase, pushing Delhi into trouble before the contest could find any rhythm.
- Delhi Capitals were reduced to 8/6 within the first four overs.
- After that early collapse, Delhi were left effectively chasing survival rather than building a platform.
- Only Abishek Porel managed to offer meaningful resistance, scoring 30 as Delhi were eventually bowled out for 75 in 16.3 overs.
RCB chase: Bethell and Kohli keep the pressure constant
Bengaluru’s run chase began with a quick burst. Impact Player Jacob Bethell struck an early boundary, then Virat Kohli took over the momentum with shots that matched the noise from the stands.
- Bethell opened the chase by flicking for four.
- Kohli then got going by lofting Dushmantha Chameera down the ground for a boundary.
Bethell’s surge; Natarajan’s moment of brilliance
Bethell accelerated with sudden intent, clearing the ropes with authority and putting Delhi under immediate duress. While Delhi did manage a breakthrough, it came after Bethell had already done significant damage.
- Bethell hit Jamieson for a brace of sixes over mid-wicket, including a 104-metre strike.
- Jamieson responded, with Bethell mistiming a loft.
- T Natarajan sprinted back from mid-on and completed the catch of the evening, taking it cleanly over his shoulder without touching the rope, dismissing Bethell for 20 off 11 balls.
Padikkal’s fireworks and Kohli finishes the job
With the powerplay already dominated by Bengaluru, Devdutt Padikkal continued the momentum in a way that made the chase look routine. Even after the early phase, wickets remained hard to come by for Delhi, and RCB’s batters kept finding boundaries.
- RCB effectively doubled Delhi’s power-play output in three overs.
- Padikkal began with a long-off loft over Chameera for six.
- He then struck Jamieson through the square-leg boundary for another maximum.
- Padikkal reached RCB’s fifty in 4.3 overs with a one-legged pulled four through mid-wicket.
- He followed up with another boundary through fine leg.
- Padikkal also produced the highlight of the innings by lofting over mid-off for six.
Kohli completes the chase with ease
After RCB closed the powerplay on 65/1, Kohli ensured the remaining overs were dispatched without drama. He finished the job in style—first with a lofted six and then with another big strike on the pull.
- Kohli lofted Natarajan down the ground for six to seal the chase.
- He then pulled over deep mid-wicket for another maximum to complete a comprehensive victory.
What this result means for both sides
RCB’s dominance translated into both the numbers and the mood of the match. For Delhi, the defeat was bruising not only in the net run-rate impact but also in confidence. Bengaluru, meanwhile, left little doubt about the momentum they are building across the tournament.
Additional IPL context from the match narrative
- Most balls remaining in a successful IPL chase: 87 — MI vs KKR, Wankhede, 2008 (target: 68).
- Most balls remaining in a successful IPL chase: 81 — RCB vs DC, Delhi, 2026 (target: 76).
- Most balls remaining in a successful IPL chase: 76 — KTK vs RR, Indore, 2021 (target: 98).
- Most balls remaining in a successful IPL chase: 73 — KXIP vs DC, Mohali, 2017 (target: 68).
- Most balls remaining in a successful IPL chase: 72 — SRH vs RCB, Braboune, 2022 (target: 69).
- Most runs against an opponent in IPL: 1174 — Virat Kohli vs CSK.
- Most runs against an opponent in IPL: 1172 — Virat Kohli vs DC*.
- Most runs against an opponent in IPL: 1161 — Rohit Sharma vs KKR.
- Most runs against an opponent in IPL: 1159 — Virat Kohli vs PBKS.
- Most runs against an opponent in IPL: 1134 — David Warner vs PBKS.
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 25 — MI vs KKR (36 matches).
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 21 — CSK vs RCB (36 matches).
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 21 — KKR vs PBKS (36 matches).
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 21 — MI vs CSK (39 matches).
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 21 — MI vs DC (38 matches).
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 21 — CSK vs KKR (32 matches).
- Most wins against a team in the IPL: 21 — RCB vs DC (35 matches)*.
- Most 3-wicket hauls among pacers in IPL: 25 — Jasprit Bumrah.
- Most 3-wicket hauls among pacers in IPL: 20 — Bhuvneshwar Kumar*.
- Most 3-wicket hauls among pacers in IPL: 19 — Lasith Malinga.
- Most 3-wicket hauls among pacers in IPL: 17 — Harshal Patel.
With RCB securing an emphatic win and Delhi facing the immediate need to regroup, the match underlined Bengaluru’s growing momentum while also leaving Capitals to assess what went wrong after an early wobble.
