Rajat Patidar’s RCB moved to the top of the IPL 2025 table after defeating DC by six wickets in their sixth consecutive away win.
The Royal Challengers Bengaluru, led by Rajat Patidar, registered a commanding six-wicket win over Delhi Capitals at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Sunday to extend their unbeaten away record in IPL 2025 to six matches — a first in the league’s history. With this win, RCB climbed to the top of the points table.
“Every game is important from here, because we are not aiming for qualification for the playoffs, but want to finish in the top 2. Initially, we were under pressure as we lost early wickets in the chase, but the way Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya calculated their innings, it was very nice to see,” said RCB captain Rajat Patidar.
“It was a total team performance. The way the bowlers executed their plans, was nice to see. We are always looking to play good cricket and it feels great when you lead RCB,” he added.
RCB’s bowlers set the tone early, restricting Delhi to their lowest first-innings total of the season. The experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Josh Hazlewood, along with Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, played key roles in applying pressure and picking timely wickets.
Coach Andy Flower praised the bowling strategy and execution, saying, “Rajat, a lot of your bowling changes worked today, it brought a few wickets straight away, and there was a real sense of control. I thought it was probably the best bowling performance for us so far this season.”
In the chase, Virat Kohli and Krunal Pandya put on a match-winning 119-run stand — the highest fourth-wicket partnership against Delhi Capitals in IPL history. Kohli anchored the innings, while Krunal, who was named Player of the Match, stayed aggressive. The pair took the team close to the target, with Tim David finishing the job in style.
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This season, Kohli has scored four fifties in away run-chases, all in winning causes. Remarkably, he has been dismissed only once in those games.
Reflecting on his form, Krunal Pandya said, “It’s been a long wait for me to get my rhythm in my batting, but it is quite satisfying and overwhelming as well because I have been searching for something like this. I always knew I have it in me. For me, I used to tell myself, that wait, don’t give up, it will come. I am glad that I was able to contribute to the team and when you keep the team first, God also will bless you in the right way.”
“It was a lot of fun to bat with Virat Kohli, his energy and how he bats, it is unbelievable. Virat being at the other end giving me his point of view and backing me with his energy, it did help me, and it was good to win, because otherwise these runs would not have mattered,” he added.
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