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- DC vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru crush Delhi Capitals by 9 wickets
DC vs RCB Highlights, IPL 2026: Royal Challengers Bengaluru crush Delhi Capitals by 9 wickets
It was carnage of the highest order, a powerplay ambush so brutal that the Delhi Capitals never quite recovered as RCB unleashed a devastating new-ball spell to script one of the most dramatic openings in the IPL history.
Josh Hazlewood (4/12) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/5) turned the powerplay into a demolition act, ripping through Delhi with two ruthless three-over bursts that left the hosts gasping at 13 for six.
Only Abhishek Porel (30), David Miller (19) and Kyle Jamieson (12) reached double-digit scores. The home team scored eight fours and a six.
All Delhi could manage was 75 in 16.3 overs but eventually deflected the ignominy of posting lowest IPL score. RCB had managed 49 in 2017 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Chasing a modest target, RCB openers Virat Kohli (23 ) and Jacob Bethell (20) ensured a smooth start.
There were no hiccups except that Bethell was done in by an exceptional catch by T Natarajan off Kyle Jamieson.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a fluent 34 as some solid RCB batting took the game away from Delhi in no time.
Josh Hazlewood to Nitish Rana, Hazlewood changes his angle of attack as he comes from around the wicket. At 141.2 kph, just outside the off stump. Rana lets it be.
Josh Hazlewood to Nitish Rana, Full and straight, attacking the stumps. Rana brings his bat out in front and blocks it off watchfully.
Josh Hazlewood to Nitish Rana, The fielders are throwing their bodies around to back up the bowlers. Fuller and angling away. Rana presses forward and plays a punchy drive. He times it sweetly but can't get it past Krunal Pandya at point. Krunal dives to his left and saves a certain boundary. He parries it towards the man at cover.
Josh Hazlewood to Nitish Rana, Moving away off the seam, on a back of a length. Nitish Rana shoulders arms.
- Abishek Porel 0 (2)
- Nitish Rana 1 (4)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Abishek Porel, Bhuvi switches back to over the wicket and gets the ball to curve back in, very full, on middle. Abishek digs it out watchfully on the leg side.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Abishek Porel, Wide! This swings way down leg, Porel misses out on the flick. Jitesh Sharma flings himself to his right and makes a top save.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Abishek Porel, Fine stop! Slightly fuller and shaping back in, on off. Porel extends his hands and cuts it hard towards backward point. Josh Hazlewood is in really tight there and he dives to his left to make the stop.
Sahil Parakh is substituted by Abishek Porel
16 balls. All that has taken RCB to dismiss half the side of DC. The hosts are forced to use their Impact Sub option as Abishek Porel walks in at number 7. Sahil Parakh is subbed out.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Axar Patel, OUT! CAUGHT BEHIND! Off the edge this time, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar has his third wicket. Unbelievable scenes in Delhi. DC are 7/5 inside 3 overs. Bhuvneshwar Kumar sticks to the line around the left-hander's off stump and keeps it on a good length. Axar looks to cover the line and keep it out on the off side. The ball skids through and does not rise as much as the DC skipper anticipated. It grazes the toe of the blade before going behind to the keeper. Jitesh Sharma leans forward and gets his gloves out in front to scoop the catch cleanly with his gloves under the ball.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Axar Patel, Did it go off the bat? The appeal for a caught behind has been turned down by the umpire. There was a noise and RCB are going upstairs. Tailing back in sharply towards the off stump. Patel gets the front pad out of the way and jams his bat down. The replays show that there is a daylight gap between the bat and the ball. No need for UltraEdge, says the third umpire. The noise was actually of the bat hitting the turf. RCB lose a review. Oh, hang on. The UltraEdge later comes up and shows that there is a spike, not of the edge, but of the ball grazing the off stump.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Axar Patel, From around the wicket now to the left-hander, just outside off, on a good length. Axar lets it be.
Couldn't be a better start for any team than this. In walks the DC captain, Axar Patel, at number 6.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Tristan Stubbs, OUT! CAUGHT! A nothing shot from Tristan Stubbs, and he pays the ultimate price. RCB's new ball attack is all over DC like a rash. A seam-up ball by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, on a good length, curving away a touch. Stubbs has a waft at the ball with a straightish blade, well away from his body. The ball leaves him to take the outside edge, and Devdutt Padikkal at a slightly wide slip takes the catch around his left thigh. Two wickets for Hazlewood and now two to Bhuvi's name too. DC are 7/4 in 2.1 overs.
- Nitish Rana 1 (4)
- Tristan Stubbs 5 (2)
Josh Hazlewood to Nitish Rana, Goes past the bat! Leaving the left-hander with the angle, on a nagging length. A tentative prod at the ball by Nitish, and he is lucky not to nick this one behind. A double strike and 5 runs from Hazlewood's first over.
Josh Hazlewood to Nitish Rana, Across off at 141.9 kph, on a good length. Rana presents a straight bat for the block but is late in doing so. The ball brushes the toe end of the blade and dribbles to short third.
Josh Hazlewood to Tristan Stubbs, Full and outside off, Stubbs leans into the drive nicely and knocks it wide of mid off. Rajat Patidar moves to his left and slides to cut it off. Just a single.
Josh Hazlewood to Tristan Stubbs, FOUR! Stubbs is up and running! Hazlewood looks to attack the front pad but ends up being a little too straight. Stubbs brings his bat out in front and plays a wristy flick between mid-wicket and mid on for a boundary.
Excellent, precise bowling from Hazlewood. He is on a Hat Trick. The Capitals are on the mat already and need some stability. Tristan Stubbs is in at number 5.
Josh Hazlewood to Sameer Rizvi, OUT! EDGED AND TAKEN! Two in two for Josh Hazlewood and RCB have made a commanding start to the game. Hazlewood bowls it fuller this time and outside off. Rizvi's eyes light up as he sees the width on offer. His feet go nowhere and he goes for the expansive drive well away from his body. The ball takes the feather of an outside edge and Jitesh Sharma gobbles it up. A golden duck for Rizvi. A bit of lean patch continues for him after a promising start to the tournament.
That was a rare loose shot from KL Rahul, especially this early in the innings. RCB on the top, DC under pressure. Sameer Rizvi is in at number 4.
Josh Hazlewood to KL Rahul, OUT! STRAIGHT UP AND GONE! Josh Hazlewood strikes with his first ball and DC have been rocked early. Dug in short by Hazlewood, around the right shoulder. Rahul swivels and tries to take it on, but the ball gets big on him and he fails to get on top of the bounce. It is skied off a top edge behind the stumps on the leg side. The keeper, Jitesh Sharma, runs forward and calls others out of the way. Settles under it and does the rest. An unbeaten 152 on Saturday, and just 1 tonight. The game truly is a great leveller. The Capitals are 2/2 in 1.1 overs.
Top-drawer start by Bhuvi. Got the ball moving in and out on a belter. Josh Hazlewood will bowl from the opposite end. A slip in place with a very fine short third as well to KL Rahul.
- Nitish Rana 1 (2)
- KL Rahul 1 (2)
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Nitish Rana, Great start from Bhuvi. Switches to around the wicket and serves it on a length, in the channel on off. This shapes away, and Rana makes a watchful leave. A wicket and just 2 runs from the first over.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to KL Rahul, This hoops back in again, on the fuller side, on middle. KL stays back and helps it down to deep fine leg for a single to open his account.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to KL Rahul, Brings it back into the right-hander and the length is pulled back, over off. Rahul hangs back and watchfully defends with a straight bat.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Nitish Rana, Goes searching for that inswinging yorker again but this is not as full as the previous ball, in line with the off stump. Rana leans forward and pushes it wide of mid off. Rajat Patidar moves to his right but lets it through, and Nitish gets off the mark with a single.
Bhuvneshwar sets the marker with a peach. There was very little Sahil could do on that. Nitish Rana, the man in form, is in at number 3.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Sahil Parakh, OUT! CASTLED! An absolute ripper from Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Too good a ball for even the best of batters, let alone this 18-year-old debutant. A two-ball duck for Sahil Parakh on debut. Kumar nails the yorker, this swings back in late at the toes. Parakh hurriedly drops his bat down, but is beaten on the inside edge, and the ball brushes the back pad before uprooting the middle pole.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar to Sahil Parakh, Off the edge! Pushed across the left-hander at 134.2 kph, on a good length, Parakh pushes at the ball with hard hands. There is a slip in place but the ball evades that man and goes on the bounce to Josh Hazlewood at short third.
In all readiness for Match 39 to get underway. It's Monday, but the stands are jam-packed as supporters for both sides have flocked in large numbers. There is a dust storm warning in Delhi NCR during match hours owing to a Western Disturbance, but let's hope for the best. The two umpires walk out to the middle. KL Rahul walks out with his new opening partner, Sahil Parakh, who is making his IPL debut. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has the new ball, and Sahil Parakh will face the first ball. Here we go!
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Playing XI): Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar(c), Jitesh Sharma(w), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma, Rasikh Salam Dar
Meanwhile, DC captain Axar Patel said, " I would have fielded if I won the toss. The ground dimensions are small, the pitch also gets better, so we would have chased as well. In the IPL, you score 264 and loss, but it is a long tournament is long, we had a good game with bat and ball, if we had held our chances then the result would be different. You need to keep continuing doing the work, even our best fielders drop catches, so luck is not on our side but we can sit around thinking about it. We have two fast bowlers - Chameera and Jamieson are playing. We have to strike in the powerplay, though Mukesh has done well, he needs a break and we are bringing in international bowlers."
DC vs RCB Live Score, IPL 2026: DC bring Kyle Jamieson, Dushmantha Chameera as RCB opt to bowl first
Impact subs nominated by RCB - Jacob Bethell, Jordan Cox, Mangesh Yadav, Vicky Ostwal and Venkatesh Iyer.
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (Unchanged Playing XI) - Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Rajat Patidar (C), Jitesh Sharma (WK), Tim David, Romario Shepherd, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Josh Hazlewood, Suyash Sharma and Rasikh Salam.
Impact subs nominated by DC - Auqib Nabi, Ashutosh Sharma, Vipraj Nigam, Tripurana Vijay and Abishek Porel.
Delhi Capitals (Playing XI) - Sahil Parakh (On IPL debut) (In for Pathum Nissanka), KL Rahul (WK), Nitish Rana, Sameer Rizvi, Tristan Stubbs, David Miller, Axar Patel (C), Dushmantha Chameera (In for Mukesh Kumar), Kuldeep Yadav, T Natarajan and Kyle Jamieson (On DC debut) (In for Lungi Ngidi).
Continue putting in the hard yards - The skipper of the Delhi Capitals, Axar Patel says they would have bowled first as well. Adds that night games here tend to be high-scoring, and considering the last game and the dimensions of the ground, chasing is the better option. Axar shares that after the last game, the talk was about the positives and what they could have done better. Further says that had they taken their chances, the result could have been different. Patel believes that games come thick and fast in the IPL, so it is important to stay mentally strong and not let the previous game affect you. Informs that they have made three changes with Sahil Parakh, Kyle Jamieson and Dushmantha Chameera coming into the side. The DC captain explains the reason behind the team changes, saying they have lacked wickets in the Powerplay and feel the need for overseas options to strengthen that area.
A no-brainer to bowl first - The captain of the Royal Challengers Bengaluru, Rajat Patidar notes that it's a pretty high-scoring ground and they want to put DC under pressure while chasing. Says it won't change a lot throughout. On what attributes have made RCB succeed, Rajat points to different players stepping up in different matches and doing the job for the team. Patidar says they have played good cricket in the first half of the tournament, and the focus is simply on carrying that momentum forward into the second half. On the talk of revenge after their last meeting against the Delhi Capitals, Patidar is a bit dismissive, saying that it's all in the past and everyone is here to play good cricket. About the team combination, Rajat informs that they are going unchanged for this game.
RCB’s bowling has been led by Bhuvneshwar Kumar, who has been economical and controlled in pressure situations. His discipline has helped the team manage scoring even on batting-friendly surfaces.
With Hazlewood back, the attack gains another experienced fast bowler who can handle both new-ball and death-over responsibilities.
However, unlike some previous years, this RCB side has not relied only on Kohli. Their batting strength has come from contributions across the lineup, making them harder to stop.
Devdutt Padikkal has provided stability and regular runs, while Rajat Patidar has added aggressive middle-order strokeplay. This combination has made the batting unit stronger and more reliable under pressure.
RCB now have multiple players capable of taking control depending on the match situation.
Against Delhi’s weakened bowling attack, this depth could become a major advantage.
For Delhi, stopping Kohli is important, but stopping the full batting group may be the bigger challenge.
That match was especially frustrating because the batters had finally done their job. Instead, it was the bowling and fielding that let the team down badly.
Now the situation has become more difficult because of injuries. Lungi Ngidi suffered a freak injury in the last game, while Mitchell Starc is unavailable until the start of next month.
Against an RCB batting lineup featuring Virat Kohli, Devdutt Padikkal, Tim David, and Rajat Patidar, these concerns become even bigger. Delhi will need both discipline and execution.
Since IPL 2023, the average first innings total in Delhi has been 200. That means even small mistakes with the ball can turn matches quickly.
Delhi need quick solutions, because another bowling failure could hurt their playoff hopes badly.
That knock came in a match Delhi still lost, but it showed Rahul’s form. Before that innings, he had also made scores of 57 and 92 in the previous four games.
For Delhi, this matters even more because Rahul’s ability to anchor the innings and also accelerate makes him central to their plans.
His strong record against RCB adds another layer to this matchup. He knows their bowling attack well and has already performed against them this season.
With injuries weakening Delhi’s pace attack and the bowling unit under pressure, the batting group may again need to carry extra responsibility. Rahul will be expected to lead that effort.
If Delhi are to bounce back from the Punjab defeat and stay alive in the playoff race, another big innings from Rahul could be the starting point.
But more than that history, it is his numbers against RCB that stand out. Since leaving the franchise in 2018, Rahul has scored 789 runs against them, the most he has made against any team in that period.
In his overall IPL career, his average of 69.91 against RCB is his best against any side. His strike rate of 145.65 against them is also among his best, only behind his record against Punjab Kings.
Rahul also played a major role in the reverse fixture this season, scoring a half-century and helping Delhi Capitals complete a difficult chase in Bengaluru.
With Delhi under pressure and needing wins, much will depend on Rahul once again. His familiarity with RCB, combined with his current form, makes him one of the most important players in this contest.
This gives RCB a strong position as the second half of the tournament begins. A win against Delhi Capitals would not only improve their standing further but also help them settle scores from the reverse fixture, where Delhi had beaten them in Bengaluru.
Virat Kohli remains key to RCB’s campaign and is firmly in the Orange Cap race. But this season, RCB have not depended only on one batter. Their strength has been collective batting contributions across the lineup.
Devdutt Padikkal has brought consistency, while Rajat Patidar has added aggressive strokeplay in the middle order. This has made RCB’s batting unit more stable and less dependent on one player.
Their bowling attack may be their biggest strength right now. Bhuvneshwar Kumar has led the unit with discipline and control, while the return of Josh Hazlewood adds more quality and experience.
The defeat against Punjab was painful because Delhi had finally put together a strong batting performance. Posting such a big total should usually be enough, but their bowling attack failed to defend it. Fielding errors only made things worse, and the result has added pressure on a side already struggling for consistency.
At the halfway stage of the season, Delhi have more losses than wins. Four of those defeats have come in their last five matches, showing a clear dip after what had looked like a strong start to the campaign. The team is now entering the business half of the season, where every point becomes important.
Injuries have also made things harder. Lungi Ngidi suffered a freak injury in the last game, while Mitchell Starc is unavailable until the start of next month. This leaves Delhi with fewer reliable pace options at a crucial stage.
Stubbs’ scoring includes one boundary, along with 19 singles and two doubles. He has faced three dot balls, showing a steady approach with consistent strike rotation.
Krunal Pandya has not managed to dismiss Stubbs in these encounters.
Overall, the numbers indicate that Stubbs has played a cautious but effective role against Krunal, focusing more on rotating strike than hitting boundaries.
It was carnage of the highest order, a powerplay ambush so brutal that the Delhi Capitals never quite recovered as RCB unleashed a devastating new-ball spell to script one of the most dramatic openings in the IPL history.
Josh Hazlewood (4/12) and Bhuvneshwar Kumar (3/5) turned the powerplay into a demolition act, ripping through Delhi with two ruthless three-over bursts that left the hosts gasping at 13 for six.
Only Abhishek Porel (30), David Miller (19) and Kyle Jamieson (12) reached double-digit scores. The home team scored eight fours and a six.
All Delhi could manage was 75 in 16.3 overs but eventually deflected the ignominy of posting lowest IPL score. RCB had managed 49 in 2017 against Kolkata Knight Riders.
Chasing a modest target, RCB openers Virat Kohli (23 ) and Jacob Bethell (20) ensured a smooth start.
There were no hiccups except that Bethell was done in by an exceptional catch by T Natarajan off Kyle Jamieson.
Devdutt Padikkal scored a fluent 34 as some solid RCB batting took the game away from Delhi in no time.
