Rajasthan Royals experienced another collapse as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) staged a remarkable recovery to claim their first home victory of IPL 2025.
New Delhi: Rajasthan Royals experienced another collapse as Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) staged a remarkable recovery to claim their first home victory of IPL 2025. Dhruv Jurel had placed the Royals in a commanding position, but his dismissal, followed by Josh Hazlewood’s pivotal final over, shifted the momentum, allowing the hosts to successfully defend 205 at Chinnaswamy Stadium.
In pursuit of a challenging 206, Vaibhav Suryavanshi and Yashasvi Jaiswal added 52 runs for the opening wicket before Bhuvneshwar Kumar dismissed Suryavanshi, who attempted to hit one shot too many. Hazlewood then claimed the crucial wicket of Jaiswal for 49 off 19 balls as the left-hander looked to take the game to RCB. Krunal Pandya followed up with a strike off his first ball, sending Riyan Parag back to the pavilion after a rapid start.
Nitish Rana also got off to a solid start, but RCB tightened the screws in the middle overs, and Pandya struck once more, claiming his second wicket. Dhruv Jurel, who had been on 18 off 23 balls, turned the game around for Rajasthan when Bhuvneshwar Kumar bowled his final over, conceding 22 runs. With 22 needed from the last two overs, Hazlewood turned the tide by removing Jurel (47) and Jofra Archer (0) off consecutive balls.
With Hazlewood leaving Yash Dayal just 16 to defend in the final over, the left-arm pacer did his job efficiently, securing a thrilling 11-run victory for Bengaluru. Hazlewood’s outstanding performance was capped off by remarkable figures of 4-0-33-4.
Riyan Parag’s decision to have the home side bat first marked the first time in IPL 2025 that RCB managed to go through the powerplay without losing a wicket. However, despite being given a reprieve by the Royals’ captain early in his innings, Phil Salt couldn’t capitalize on the opportunity.
However, half-centuries from Virat Kohli (70) and Devdutt Padikkal (50), along with their 95-run partnership, formed the foundation of RCB’s winning total.
Jitesh Sharma (20*) and Tim David (23*) added the finishing touches to ensure RCB surpassed the 200-run mark. With Rajasthan Royals now on a five-match losing streak and seven defeats overall, their chances of making the playoffs are virtually over.
