In the 39th match of the IPL 2026, Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) defeated Delhi Capitals (DC) by nine wickets at the Arun Jaitley Stadium.
RCB’s triumph was made possible by a masterclass in swing and seam bowling during the powerplay. Josh Hazlewood was the best player, taking Player of the Match honours after netting 4/12 in 3.3 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar provided excellent support, finishing with 3/5 in 3 overs, including a maiden. Suyash Sharma kept the pressure on with 1/7 in 4 overs, while Krunal Pandya contributed 1/9.
The RCB batters attacked the chase like a T10 match, hitting the score of 76 in only 6.3 overs and losing one wicket. Devdutt Padikkal was the major aggressor as he hammered 34 off 13 balls* for a strike rate of 261.54, including three sixes. Virat Kohli (23*) remained not out, a performance highlighted by his achievement of 9,000 lifetime IPL runs. Jacob Bethell struck few runs upfront before falling, giving RCB two points and a significant boost to their NRR.
Delhi’s batting unit collapsed catastrophically from the outset. They were reduced to an astonishing 8/6 in the first four overs, as the top order had no solutions for the moving ball. KL Rahul was removed for 1 off 3 balls, while Tristan Stubbs made just 5. The only signs of a comeback came from Abishek Porel (30) and David Miller (19). Their efforts helped push the total to 75/10 in 16.3 overs, nearly missing the record for the lowest IPL total ever.
DC bowlers, defending 76, were put under intense strain from the very first delivery. Kyle Jamieson took Jacob Bethell’s only wicket, finishing with figures of 1/42 in three overs, although he turned out to be expensive. Spinners Axar Patel and Kuldeep Yadav were brought too late to stop the flow of runs as RCB’s openers attempted to conclude the game swiftly. The lack of a large score left the bowlers with no room to generate pressure or establish defensive fields.
The game turned out to be a historic encounter, but for all the wrong reasons for the home side. However, from the other end, RCB are now second in the points table with 12 points.
Scorecard:
Delhi Capitals: 75/10, Overs 16.3, Abishek Porel 30, Josh Hazlewood 4/12
Royal Challengers Bengaluru: 77/1, Overs 6.3, Devdutt Padikkal 34*, Kyle Jamieson 1/42
