RCB's thrilling win: Rajasthan's late collapse hands Bengaluru victory

BENGALURU: With just 18 runs needed to win and five wickets in hand from the final two overs, Rajasthan Royals were in a strong position — but what followed was a shocking collapse. They managed to score only six runs and lost four wickets in those last two overs. This marked their fifth consecutive defeat in this IPL season and the third time in a row that they lost a match which was almost secured.

Chasing a target of 206 set by Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), Rajasthan ended their innings at 194 for 9 in 20 overs.

Openers Yashasvi Jaiswal (49 off 19) and Vaibhav Suryavanshi (16 off 12) gave Rajasthan a solid start. Contributions from Nidheesh Rana (28 off 22) and captain Riyan Parag (22 off 10) also helped them build momentum. At one point, Rajasthan were cruising at 110 for 2 in just nine overs. Dhruv Jurel shone with a 47 off 34, but his dismissal in the 19th over was a major blow for the Royals. Shubham Dube scored 12 off 7 before being dismissed in the final over.

Jofra Archer (0 off 1), Wanindu Hasaranga (1 off 3), Tushar Deshpande (1* off 2), and Fazalhaq Farooqi (2* off 2) were unable to contribute meaningfully, turning into mere spectators at the end. For RCB, Josh Hazlewood took four wickets, while Krunal Pandya took two, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal took one each.

Batting first, Royal Challengers Bengaluru scored 205 runs for the loss of five wickets in their allotted 20 overs. Half-centuries from Virat Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal powered RCB to a massive total. In the final overs, explosive hitting by Tim David and Jitesh Sharma took them past 200.

RCB lost their first wicket after putting on a 61-run partnership in 6.4 overs. Philip Salt (26 off 23) was dismissed by Hetmyer off Hasaranga’s bowling. The second-wicket stand between Virat Kohli (70 off 42) and Devdutt Padikkal (50 off 27) added 95 runs. Kohli hit eight fours and two sixes, while Padikkal’s knock included four boundaries and three sixes. Captain Rajat Patidar managed only 1 run from 3 balls.

Tim David was run out on the final ball of the innings after scoring 23 off 15. Wicketkeeper Jitesh Sharma remained unbeaten with 20 runs off 10 balls, which included four boundaries. For Rajasthan Royals, Sandeep Sharma took two wickets, while Jofra Archer and Wanindu Hasaranga picked up one wicket each.