IPL 2025: Virat Kohli’s 42-ball 70 helps RCB post 205-5 against RR

A much better surface for batting and reasonable chunks of luck is perhaps just the combination Royal Challengers Bengaluru needed in their bid to register their first win of IPL 2025 at their home base, the M Chinnaswamy Stadium.

Rajat Patidar lost a fourth straight toss at this venue but once RCB were put in by Rajasthan Royals skipper Riyan Parag, things panned out quite nicely. Parag himself put down Phil Salt (on one) at mid-off, in the second over of the game from Fazalhaq Farooqi, while Tushar Deshpande, who had a Thursday night to forget, dropped Devdutt Padikkal when the rangy left-hander was on 36.

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These chances apart, RCB benefitted immensely from a slew of outside edges, with Virat Kohli making the most of his good fortune on his way to his fifth half-century of the season and the first at the Chinnaswamy. RR were well below par with the ball for the most part, with the notable exception of the fiery but exceptionally unfortunate Jofra Archer and leg-spinner Wanindu Hasaranga, and less than impressive in the field. All this meant the hosts crossed 200 for the first time this season at home, posting 205-5. 

At the time of going to press, RR were 72-2 after six overs. Earlier, if Salt and Kohli had laid the base with their 61-run alliance on which Kohli and Padikkal built superbly by putting on 95 for the second, then the final touches were applied by the muscular Tim David and the innovative Jitesh Sharma.

The two came together after a mid-innings wobble of three for seven that threatened to undo the earlier good work, but used contrasting means piecing together 42 for the fifth wicket in just 19 deliveries, largely responsible for 122 runs coming in the last 10 overs as RR again showed why they came into this contest with just two wins from eight outings. Either side of his edgy routine, Kohli did play numerous handsome strokes, but the real hero was Padikkal, who fused left-handed elegance with raw power to a nicety on his way to a half-century off just 26 deliveries.