Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) secured their sixth victory in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025. They defeated Rajasthan Royals (RR) by 11 runs in a high-scoring thriller on Thursday.
Rajasthan Royals Struggle to Chase 206 Runs
Chasing a big target of 206, Rajasthan Royals ended their innings at 194 for 9 in 20 overs. Yashasvi Jaiswal scored 49 runs, Dhruv Jurel made 47, and Nitish Rana added 28. Despite a strong start, Rajasthan failed to finish the game.
Strong Start But No Finish for Rajasthan
Rajasthan began well, scoring 72 runs in the Powerplay and reaching 113 for 3 after 10 overs. However, they lost momentum in the second half and couldn’t keep up with the run rate.
Josh Hazlewood Changes the Game
With 40 runs needed from the last 3 overs, Rajasthan looked hopeful. They scored 22 runs in the 18th over, but Josh Hazlewood bowled brilliantly in the 19th, giving away just 1 run and taking 2 wickets. This sealed the win for RCB.
Hazlewood Leads RCB’s Bowling Attack
Josh Hazlewood was the standout performer for Royal Challengers Bengaluru, taking 4 wickets for 33 runs. Krunal Pandya picked up 2 wickets, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Yash Dayal took 1 wicket each.
RCB Posts 205 After Losing the Toss
RCB were invited to bat first after losing the toss. They scored 205 runs for 5 wickets in their 20 overs. Virat Kohli led with 70 runs, Devdutt Padikkal added 50, while Phil Salt and Tim David contributed 23 runs each, with David remaining not out.
Rajasthan Bowlers Fail to Contain RCB
Sandeep Sharma took 2 wickets for Rajasthan Royals. Wanindu Hasaranga and Jofra Archer picked up 1 wicket each, but the bowling unit couldn’t prevent RCB from reaching a big total.
RCB Moves Up in the Points Table
With this win, RCB now has 12 points from 9 matches and climbs to third place in the IPL 2025 points table. Rajasthan Royals, with only 4 points from 9 games, remain in eighth place. Their chances of reaching the playoffs are now very low.
