NEW DELHI: Royal Challengers Bengaluru secured their first home victory of IPL 2025 at Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday night, defeating Rajasthan Royals by 11 runs in a thrilling match.
Virat Kohli's emotional celebrations highlighted the intense contest as RCB defended their total of 205, with Josh Hazlewood's exceptional bowling in the penultimate over proving decisive.
Kohli led from the front with a stellar batting performance, scoring 70 off 42 balls, marking his fifth fifty of the season and first at home. He partnered with Devdutt Padikkal, who contributed 50 off 27 balls, in a crucial 95-run partnership for the second wicket.
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CSK vs SRH Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Jitesh Sharma and Tim David provided the late impetus to RCB's innings, helping the team surpass the 200-run mark on a challenging surface.
The Royals' chase began explosively with Yashasvi Jaiswal smashing 49 off just 19 balls, including five boundaries and a six against Hazlewood. However, the Australian pacer eventually dismissed Jaiswal, who miscued a shot to mid-wicket.
Impact player Vaibhav Suryavanshi, aged 14, briefly entertained with two sixes before falling to Bhuvneshwar Kumar's knuckle ball.
Dhruv Jurel fought hard with 47 runs, but Hazlewood's outstanding figures of 4/33 proved instrumental in restricting the Royals.
The match reached its climax in the final two overs, with Rajasthan needing 18 runs. Hazlewood's exceptional over, yielding just one run and claiming two wickets, sealed the victory for RCB.
Kohli's passionate celebrations included roaring, fist-pumping, and embracing teammates in the dugout after the dismissals of Jofra Archer and Wanindu Hasaranga in the closing overs.
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The defeat severely damaged Rajasthan Royals' playoff hopes, marking their seventh loss in nine matches.
RCB's victory propelled them to third place in the standings, above Mumbai Indians, with six wins from nine matches. They maintain their perfect away record this season with four wins in four matches.
The team's next challenge is an away fixture against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, where they will look to maintain their unbeaten record on the road.
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