Royal Challengers Bengaluru registered an emphatic six-wicket victory over Delhi Capitals to climb at the top of the IPL 2025 points table on Sunday. Playing at the Arun Jaitely Stadium in the national capital, RCB opted to bowl and restricted DC to 162/8 in 20 overs. Later, the visitors chased down the target in just 18.3 overs and reached 14 points after 10 matches. The biggest hero of RCB’s win was all-rounder Krunal Pandya who not only scalped a wicket but also played an unbeaten knock of 73* off 47 balls.
Krunal was roped-in by RCB for Rs 5.75 crore at the mega auction. After his making his IPL debut for Mumbai Indians in 2016, Krunal also played for Lucknow Super Giants. So far, he has hit only two half-centuries in the IPL and interestingly, both of them came against DC.
After the victory over DC, RCB star batter Virat Kohli praised Krunal for knock and anticipated his impact throughout the tournament.
“It was a top win, especially looking at the surface. This wicket played very differently to the other games. Whenever there is a chase on, I keep checking with the dugout if we are on course, what is my role, etc. Krunal.. today was his day. We were waiting for him to come into the tournament with the bat. Who are the bowlers to target. I try and ensure I don’t stop my singles and doubles and combine with the occasional boundary,” Virat Kohli said in the post-match presentation.
Kohli emphasised the importance of adaptability. He also highlighted the team’s strong communication and performance, which resulted in seven wins out of ten matches.
He acknowledged the strength of their batting lineup, particularly the firepower provided by Romario Shepherd and Tim David. He praised the world-class bowling of Josh Hazlewood and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, and recognised Krunal’s good performance in bowling as well. He also mentioned Suyash as a potential dark horse, despite his lack of wickets.
“This year, you can’t just come out and hit; you have to assess, understand the conditions and then plan accordingly. We have communicated beautifully as a team in the batting, and that’s the reason we have 7 wins out of 10. It’s looking good for us. We have Romario (Shepherd) after Tim (David) as well for extra added power. That firepower at the back end definitely helps. Hazlewood and Bhuvi are world-class bowlers. There’s a reason why he has the Purple Cap on his head. Krunal bowled well too. Don’t forget that Suyash can be the dark horse as well. He may not have got the wickets, but he has been good,” he added.
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