IPL 2025: Rahul's Unbeaten 93 Powers DC to Fourth Consecutive Win

In Match 24 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday, KL Rahul returned to his home ground and led the Delhi Capitals to a resounding six-wicket victory over Royal Challengers Bengaluru with a dominant batting display, crafting an undefeated 93.

Delhi's bowlers played brilliantly on a wicket that presented batting difficulties, containing RCB's blazing start from Phil Salt and Virat Kohli. Disciplined periods from the visiting bowlers limited the hosts to 163/7 despite a scorching opening.

The Delhi Capitals were in early difficulty at 58/4 while chasing 164, but Rahul's cool, collected innings, well assisted by Tristan Stubbs (38*), propelled the team to 169/4 in 17.5 overs. With 13 balls remaining, they secured a comfortable finish with an unbroken 111-run stand for the fifth wicket, which is Delhi's record for that position.

With the victory, Delhi extended their winning streak to four games in a row and tied the top-seeded Gujarat Titans on eight points after one more game.

Rahul demonstrated his ability to pace an innings under duress with seven boundaries and six sixes in his 53-ball innings. At the other end, Stubbs was just as successful, scoring 38 off 23 balls as Delhi won the match in spectacular fashion. Rahul ended the match by hitting a six off Yash Dayal.

Earlier in the chase, Delhi's top order struggled. The visitors were reduced to 10/2 in three overs, with young Jake Fraser-McGurk (7) and returning Faf du Plessis (2) falling cheaply to Yash Dayal and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, respectively. The next to leave was Abishek Porel (7), who was caught behind Bhuvneshwar. Delhi was on the verge of collapse at 58/4 when Axar Patel left after a strong 15.

Rahul, however, remained steadfast. He gained momentum gradually after riding his luck early on, most notably when Rajat Patidar missed a difficult opportunity. He took complete command in the middle overs, particularly during a vicious over from Josh Hazlewood that went for 22 runs, and reached his fifty off 37 balls. That attack successfully tipped the scales in Delhi's favor.

Thanks to aggressive batting from Salt and Kohli, RCB dominated the first innings and recorded the fastest team fifty in IPL history in just three overs. In the first three overs, the pair smashed 53, with Salt hitting Mitchell Starc for 30 runs in one over.

But after Salt was unlucky to be run out for 37 (17 balls) after a mix-up with Kohli, their momentum shattered. Devdutt Padikkal (1) was next removed by a wicket-maiden from Mukesh Kumar, and shortly after, Kohli was caught off Vipraj Nigam after trying a bold inside-out loft.

With wickets falling often, including Liam Livingstone (3) and Jitesh Sharma (3)'s swift dismissals, RCB's bright start came to an end. Despite the efforts of Krunal Pandya (18) and captain Rajat Patidar (25), the innings never fully recovered.

RCB amassed 36 runs in the final two overs to score a valiant total of 163/7, with Tim David adding a finishing flourish with a scorching 37 not out off 20 deliveries, including four sixes and two boundaries.

With Kuldeep Yadav (2/17) and Vipraj Nigam (2/18) leading the charge in the middle overs and Mukesh Kumar's tight spell further tightening the screws, Delhi's bowlers effectively distributed the strain.

Synopsis of the Match:

163/7 in 20 overs for Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Phil Salt 37, Tim David 37*; Vipraj Nigam 2/18, Kuldeep Yadav 2/17).

Delhi Capitals: 169/4 in 17.5 overs (Bhuvneshwar Kumar 2/26, Tristan Stubbs 38*, KL Rahul 93*)

Delhi Capitals won by six wickets as a result.