In a dramatic finish at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium, Virat Kohli was at his expressive best as Royal Challengers Bengaluru finally ended their home hoodoo with a thrilling 11-run win over Rajasthan Royals. Kohli’s pumped-up celebrations — first when Josh Hazlewood dismissed Jofra Archer in the 19th over and again as Wanindu Hasaranga fell in the final over — captured the emotional rollercoaster of a game that kept fans on edge till the last ball.
The odds looked stacked against RCB with Rajasthan needing just 18 runs from the final two overs and five wickets in hand. But Hazlewood’s clutch bowling and a crucial run-out involving Tim David and Jitesh Sharma turned the tide in Bengaluru’s favour.
Earlier, it was Kohli the batter who set the tone for RCB with a fluent 70 off 42 balls — his fifth half-century this season and the first on home soil in IPL 2025. Despite a few nervy strokes early on, he soon found his rhythm and anchored the innings beautifully to help Bengaluru post a strong 205.
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Rajasthan’s chase began on a blazing note with Yashasvi Jaiswal hammering 49 off just 19 balls. Young Vaibhav Suryavanshi added spark with two towering sixes before Bhuvneshwar Kumar outfoxed him with a knuckleball. Dhruv Jurel kept the hopes alive with a fighting 47, but the lower order couldn’t withstand RCB’s pressure in the end.
𝙀𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 that speak louder than words 🥳#TATAIPL | #RCBvRR | @imVkohli | @RCBTweets pic.twitter.com/Q4B09fkllE
— IndianPremierLeague (@IPL) April 24, 2025
Josh Hazlewood emerged as the hero for the hosts, finishing with figures of 4/33. His game-turning 19th over, where he conceded just one run and picked up two wickets, was the decisive blow that derailed Rajasthan’s chase.
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With this crucial win, Bengaluru leapfrogged Mumbai Indians to claim third place on the points table with six victories from nine outings. The win also snapped their losing streak at home, giving the side a much-needed morale boost ahead of their next clash.
RCB will now travel to take on the Delhi Capitals on Sunday, April 27, looking to build momentum in what’s shaping up to be a highly competitive playoff race.
