IPL 2025: Unbeaten DC look to seal victory vs in-form RCB

A third of the way into the league phase of Season 18 of the IPL, only one team boasts an all-win record. That will be on the line when Axar Patel’s Delhi Capitals lock horns with Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a heavyweight clash on Thursday night that will test the resolve and character of both sides.

The Capitals have regrouped superbly after finishing sixth last season, helmed superbly by Axar, who has eked the best out of his versatile squad. In his endeavour towards a push for the playoffs, he has terrific support from Faf du Plessis and KL Rahul, who have both led their countries in all three formats.

Back on familiar turf

Du Plessis and Rahul also bring loads of local knowledge of the M Chinnaswamy Stadium. Rahul, of course, has played all his domestic cricket for Karnataka, apart from representing RCB when they were still Royal Challengers Bangalore, while du Plessis was the RCB skipper for three years from 2022 until being let go ahead of the big auction last November.

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Alongside exceptional Australian left-arm quick Mitchell Starc, Rahul and Du Plessis form a fearsome troika of former RCB players pitted against their old franchise. RCB faithfuls will remember, with no great fondness, that they were undone last Wednesday by another former hero, Gujarat Titans’ Mohammed Siraj. They will be three times more apprehensive, therefore, going into Thursday’s clash, though they will also take great heart from the wonderful start (three wins in four outings) by a franchise not renowned for that quality.

Under Rajat Patidar, also a first-time skipper like his opposite number, RCB have played a refreshingly positive brand of cricket. Once placing all their eggs in a very small basket of superstars, they made strong acquisitions at the auction, especially on the batting front, and those moves are clearly paying off. Patidar himself has set the tone with one muscular innings after another, not a mean task considering that he bats at No. 4. Around him is a plethora of attacking riches, starting from Phil Salt and Virat Kohli at the top and running through Devdutt Padikkal, Liam Livingstone, feisty stumper-bat Jitesh Sharma and the dangerous Tim David, as accomplished an end-overs specialist as there is in the competition.

Pace duo shine

Where RCB look a little thin on the spin front, they have a glittering array of pace resources spearheaded by the crack duo of Josh Hazlewood, a hit-the-deck kind of bowler, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, an ace swing exponent who last week became the most prolific fast-medium bowler in IPL history. It is to them that Patidar has looked for wickets in the Powerplay and the two virtuosos have delivered almost invariably.

The Capitals will be bolstered by the return to full fitness of Du Plessis, who missed the win against Chennai Super Kings with a groin niggle.