BENGALURU: On a sweltering Saturday night, KL Rahul returned home in familiar surroundings, standing tall amidst the rubble. With the score at 18/3 in the third over, Delhi Capitals faltered but were soon destroyed by a sharp spell from Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/26). Yet the 34-year-old birthday boy remained poised, presiding over the chase with the calm assurance that has become his trademark.
This is not the first time that Rahul has saved his team in such situations. His innings echoed the last time the two teams met at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. The Karnataka batsman scored an unbeaten 93 runs and won the six-wicket match on April 10 last year. This time, he once again played the perfect foil, scoring 57 off 34 balls (6×4, 2×6) for a similar six-wicket win.
On the 19th anniversary of the Indian Premier League, Royal Challengers Bangalore suffered their second defeat of the season as they lost their first match at this venue. Riding on Rahul’s control and a late flourish from Tristan Stubbs (60n.o), coupled with David Miller’s unbeaten 22, Capitals ended defending champions RCB’s five-game winning streak at home.
Chasing 176 on a tricky pitch, DC came under pressure early on with Bhuvneshwar hitting three in the Powerplay. Pathum Nissanka (1), local lad Karun Nair (5) and Sameer Rizvi (2) all fell miserably, unable to counter the veteran seamer’s movement and control.
At the other end, Rahul started cautiously, dismissing a tentative Bhuvneshwar before taking on Josh Hazlewood. A crisp six over extra cover signaled a change of intent. Rahul, along with Stubbs, rebuilt the innings, targeting the loose deliveries and gradually controlling the required bowling rate.
Just when the partnership began to decisively turn the game around, Rahul fell and cut Krunal Pandya to Virat Kohli at deep. For a while, RCB sensed an opportunity but the South African duo of Stubbs and Miller shut the door firmly. With 15 runs to go in the final, Romario Shepherd provided hope, conceding just two runs from the first two balls. But Miller responded with two towering sixes and then sealed the chase with a ball to spare.
Earlier, RCB posted a score of 175/8, the first total below 200 at the venue this season. Phil Salt (63; 38b; 4×4, 3×6) started well and joined Kohli (19) for 52 runs before Lungi Ngidi hit his first ball, causing the latter to miss his shot.
Salt and Devdutt Padikkal (18) tried to increase the tempo, but Axar Patel (2/18) turned the tide. Padikkal bowled Axar to Miller at long-on and then Kuldeep Yadav (2/32) applied the brakes shortly after removing Salt.
At half-time, RCB scored 99/2, scoring just 76 runs while losing 6 wickets. Axar’s shenanigans and Kuldeep’s changes stifled the middle order, with Raj Patidar and Tim David failing to capitalize. The momentum of the innings dropped sharply, with RCB bowling 24 boundaryless runs and scoring just 8 runs in the last two overs.
Ultimately, Rahul’s composure and Stubbs’ intent proved decisive and RCB’s fortress was breached on a day that also marked their 100th home appearance. It is worth mentioning that RCB is the first team to play 100 home games in the tournament.
