The craftiness of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam echoed in the assiduous unbeaten 93 of KL Rahul as Delhi Capitals overcame a top-order meltdown to score a six-wicket win over Royal Challengers Bengaluru in their IPL match in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Once the Royal Challengers were restricted to 163 for seven, the Capitals just needed to bat with common sense but it was a rare commodity in their frontline batters on the night.

But player of the match KL Rahul, whose knock came off 53 balls with seven fours and six sixes, added 111 runs for the fourth wicket with an equally level-headed Tristan Stubbs (38 not out) to score their fourth victory on the bounce.

DC made 169 for four.

Rahul’s innings was a prime example of risk management as he started at a slower tempo before shifting the gears seamlessly.

The way Rahul, who was dropped on five by Rajat Patidar off Yash Dayal, dealt with leg-spinner Suyansh Sharma and pacer Josh Hazlewood underlined his intelligent approach.

He was prudent against Suyansh, waiting for his chances to score runs on a sluggish track and carted him for a lone six — a sweep over mid-wicket.

But once Hazlewood returned for his second spell, Rahul used the extra pace to good effect to manufacture big shots such as a scorching six over the bowlers’ head.

Stubbs too joined his partners with a couple of lovely straight hits off Bhuvneshwar to the fence as DC strolled home.

However, they had a horror start to the chase as Faf du Plessis, who came back for this match after missing the game against Chennai Super Kings with a niggle, skied Dayal for Rajat Patidar to complete a fine catch.

The mode of dismissal echoed twice soon as Jake-Fraser McGurk and Abhishek Porel walked back to the shed in the same manner.

The visitors were in a quagmire at 30 for three well inside the Power Play, which they eventually finished at 39 for three.

Rahul and captain Axar Patel (15) added 28 runs for the fourth wicket, and the DC innings seemed to have gotten back on the track.

But Axar’s attempt to find the boundary over covers off Suyansh could not progress beyond the running-in Tim David.

However, that was the last of the blips in the DC innings as Rahul marked their triumph with a six off Dayal which he celebrated with a sword-on-the-ground celebration.

The wizardry of spinners Kuldeep Yadav and Vipraj Nigam helped Delhi Capitals stage a stirring comeback to restrict Royal Challengers Bengaluru to a below-par 163 for seven in the IPL match in Bengaluru on Thursday.

Left-arm wrist spinner Kuldeep (2/17) and leg-spinner Nigam (2/18) adjusted their lengths beautifully on a pitch that had a touch of sluggishness to drag RCB innings into a marshy pit after the Capitals chose to bowl first.

But Delhi’s decision to field looked utterly obtuse as Royal Challengers went off the blocks like a galloping horse, going past the 50-run mark in just three overs.

Central to that charge was opener Phil Salt’s turbo-charged innings of 37 off 17 balls.

The England batter hammered Mitchell Starc for a sequence of 6, 4, 4, 4, 6 to collect 24 runs in the third over.

However, Salt got run out in a yes-no situation involving Virat Kohli (22, 14b). Kohli and Salt added 61 runs off 24 balls for the opening stand.

But the introduction of leg-spinner Vipraj Nigam proved a course-altering point.

Nigam gave away just two runs in the fifth over, and pacer Mohit Sharma followed that up with another tidy few balls in the next over.

Pressurised by a series of dot balls, Devdutt Padikkal (1) went for a release shot off Mohit, but it lacked any kinetic energy as Axar Patel completed an easy catch at the edge of the circle.

Kohli, who began to unshackle himself with a six off Nigam over long-on, soon fell to the same bowler while trying to clobber a delivery wide on the off-stump.

Thereafter, the home side lost the wickets of Jitesh Sharma (4) and Liam Livingstone (3) in quick succession as they slipped to 102 for five in the 13th over, a far cry from the start they had.

In fact, the hosts lost five wickets for a mere 41 runs in just over eight overs, as DC bowlers exploited a hint grip on the surface to telling effect.

The passage between overs 6th and 13th also saw RCB batters managing just two fours and a six.

However, The RCB camp might have harboured some hopes of reaching a much more competitive total through skipper Rajat Patidar, who played a couple of delectable shots.

But Kuldeep’s skidder ended Patidar’s stay (25) as stumper KL Rahul safely held the ball which almost touched the moon and came back.

Tim David (37 not out, 20b) played a few customary beefy shots in the death overs but it came a wee bit late as RCB’s innings ended on a sad note of what could have been.

Sai Sudharsan’s classy fifty combined with a collective bowling effort powered Gujarat Titans to a commanding 58-run win over Rajasthan Royals in their IPL 2025 match in Ahmedabad on Wednesday.

Sudharsan lit up the evening with a dazzling 53-ball 82, while explosive cameos from Jos Buttler (36), Shahrukh Khan (36), and Rahul Tewatia (24) propelled GT to a formidable 217/6 after they were put into bat.

The GT bowlers then kept chipping away, striking at regular intervals to keep Rajasthan on the back foot despite fighting knocks from Shimron Hetmyer (52) and skipper Sanju Samson (41).

Royals were eventually bowled out for 159 in 19.1 overs.

Gujarat Titans win their fourth match in a row to jump to the top of the standings with eight points from five games, while Royals are seventh with four points from five games.

Sudharsan was in sublime touch, effortlessly finding gaps and punishing anything loose. His fluent knock, laced with eight boundaries and three sixes, formed the bedrock of GT’s imposing total.

Defending 217, pacers Mohammed Siraj (1/30) and Arshad Khan (1/19) struck early to give GT the perfect start.

Arshad drew first blood, removing the dangerous Yashasvi Jaiswal (6) who slashed at a wide one and picked out Rashid Khan at deep point.

In the very next over, Nitish Rana (1) attempted an upper-cut off Siraj but met the same fate, guiding it straight to the fielder at thirdman.

But Samson and Riyan Parag (26) launched a fiery counterattack. Parag smoked three no-look sixes, while Samson dispatched anything loose to the boundary with casual ease, taking RR to 57/2 in the Powerplay.

The momentum swung again as Impact Sub Kulwant Khejroliya (1/29) had Parag caught by Buttler, before Rashid Khan removed Dhruv Jurel (5) to leave Rajasthan tottering at 68/4.

Samson and Hetmyer added 48 runs to keep hopes alive, but Prasidh Krishna (3/24) dealt the killer blow.

He first dismissed Samson as the wicketkeeper tried to steer one behind square but only managed to skew it high towards Sai Kishore, who held on calmly at the edge of the circle.

Krishna then returned to snare Hetmyer to finish off RR’s hopes.

Earlier, after leaking plenty of runs initially in the IPL, Jofra Archer (1/30) is well and truly back to his best.

With the new ball in hand, he cranked it up to 152.3 kph in his first over, then returned in his second to clean up Shubman Gill (2) with a steaming 147.7 kph inswinger that beat the inside edge and crashed into Gill’s off stump.

Archer then greeted Jos Buttler (36) with a sharp bouncer, but the former England captain responded a couple of balls later with a crisp four to the deep-cover boundary.

With Sudharsan taking charge, Buttler joined the party with back-to-back boundaries off Fazalhaq Farooqi (0/38) in the seventh over.

In the next over, he sliced Maheesh Theekshana (2/54) through the off side for a four, before lofting him straight down the ground for another boundary.

But Theekshana had the last laugh, trapping Buttler leg-before, ending an 80-run partnership.

Rajasthan skipper Sanju Samson immediately turned back to Archer in a bid to stem the flow of runs, and the Barbados-born pacer repaid the faith with a tight over that went for just six.

But Shahrukh Khan (36 off 20) exploded into action in the very next over, slamming consecutive boundaries before muscling one over deep extra cover to inject some much needed momentum into the GT innings.

The boundaries kept coming as Shahrukh went after Theekshana in the 14th over that yielded 16 runs.

Royals responded by striking twice in quick succession, removing Shahrukh and Sherfane Rutherford (7) to pull things back.

Sudharsan was handed a lifeline on 81 but couldn’t make much of the reprieve, as Tushar Deshpande had him caught behind after he got an inside edge off a full delivery. 

The five-time champions Chennai Super Kings once again fell short while chasing a big target, as Punjab Kings secured an 18-run win in Match 22 of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 at the Maharaja Yadavindra Singh International Cricket Stadium on Tuesday.

Devon Conway top-scored with a 69-run knock, while cameos from Shivam Dube (42) and Rachin Ravindra (36) offered some resistance. But it wasn’t enough to overhaul Punjab’s commanding total, set up by Priyansh Arya’s stunning maiden IPL century.

Lockie Ferguson was the standout with the ball for Punjab, grabbing two key wickets. Glenn Maxwell and Yash Thakur chipped in with crucial breakthroughs that helped keep CSK’s scoring in check during the second innings.

Devon Conway’s 69-run contribution alongside cameos by Shivam Dube (42) and Rachin Ravindra (36) were not enough on the night after Priyansh Arya’s blazing maiden IPL ton powered the home side to 219/6 in the first innings.

For Punjab, Lockie Ferguson claimed two wickets on the night while Glenn Maxwell and Yash Thakur provided important breakthroughs to keep in control of the second innings.

CSK Start Steady But Lose Momentum

Although if one were to compare wickets in hand, Chennai navigated the power-play without the loss of one, but were not able to maintain the ever-growing run-rate. New Zealand duo Rachin Ravindra and Devon Conway raised 61 runs before the former tried to advance down the pitch and was stumped way out by wicket-keeper Prabhsimran Singh.

Skipper Ruturaj Gaikwad’s (1) lean run at the No.3 position continued as he was caught by Shashank Singh at short mid-wicket. Impact substitute Shivam Dube (42) showed glimpses of his big-hitting prowess and stitched an 89-run stand with Conway.

The former brought his half-century in 37 balls, having slowed down after an initial burst, but struggled to find the boundary. Just when it seemed like they could bring the game back in CSK’s favour, he was cleaned up by Ferguson to end his time at the crease.

Dhoni’s Cameo Raises Hope, But Punjab Hold Nerve

The crowd went into a frenzy as Mahendra Singh Dhoni (27) walked out to bat, higher than his usual position these days and he even made the fans believe for a minute. After rotating the strike against Yuzvendra Chahal in the 16th over, the talismanic wicket-keeper batter sent Ferguson for consecutive sixes.

With Conway unable to find the boundary since hitting a six in the 14th over, CSK quite boldly decided to send in Ravindra Jadeja and retire the Kiwi batter.

Dhoni followed it with a four and a six off Arshdeep Singh in the penultimate over and brought the target down to 28 runs required off the last over. In an anti-climactic finish, a full toss by Yash Thakur saw Dhoni hammer it to Chahal straight at short fine leg. Jadeja hit a six later in the over, but the Super Kings were handed their fourth straight defeat.

In the first innings, after electing to bat first, Priyansh Arya gave the Punjab Kings the perfect start by smashing Khaleel Ahmed’s delivery for a six on the first ball of the game before being dropped by the bowler on the very next delivery and proceeded to hit the quick for 17 in the opening over.

However, Chennai hit back by claiming important scalps of Prabhsimran Singh, Shreyas Iyer, and Marcus Stoinis. Ashwin certainly showed glimpses of his great self on the night when he dismissed Nehal Wadhera (9) and Glenn Maxwell (1) in the same over to reduce the home side to 83/5 in eight overs.

From thereon out Shashank and Arya raised hell for the bowlers and stitched a 71-run stand off 34 deliveries. Arya once again rode his luck, while batting at 79, when he was caught by Mukesh Choudhary, but he stepped onto the rope and it turned into a six. He then raised his century in style by hitting three consecutive sixes of Matheesha Pathirana before edging the next ball for four to reach the three-figure mark.

Arya soon departed after reaching the century milestone, but Marco Jansen (34 not out) and Shashank continued the heavy hitting. The duo raised 65 runs for the seventh wicket, which also saw Shashank raise his third IPL half-century on the final ball of the innings.

Brief scores:

Punjab Kings 219/6 in 20 overs (Priyansh Arya 103, Shashank Singh 52*, Marco Jansen 34*; Khaleel Ahmed 2-45, Ravichandran Ashwin 2-48) defeat CSK 201/5 in 20 overs (Devon Conway 69, Shivam Dube 42, Rachin Ravindra 36; Lockie Ferguson 2-40, Glenn Maxwell 1-11, Yash Thakur 1-39) by 18 runs