International Sports
IPL: Royal Challengers Bengaluru crush Delhi Capitals by 9 wickets
After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar elected to bowl first, a decision that paid immediate dividends.
Defending champions Royal Challengers Bengaluru produced one of the most destructive bowling displays in IPL history as they thrashed Delhi Capitals by nine wickets in Match 39 of the TATA IPL 2026 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium on Monday.
RCB’s pace attack ripped through Delhi’s batting line-up, dismissing the hosts for just 75 before chasing down the target in only 6.3 overs to secure a massive win and significantly boost their net run rate.
After winning the toss, RCB captain Rajat Patidar elected to bowl first, a decision that paid immediate dividends.
Bhuvneshwar Kumar struck with the second ball of the match, removing debutant Sahil Parakh, before Josh Hazlewood produced a devastating spell to dismiss KL Rahul and Sameer Rizvi in quick succession.
Delhi’s innings quickly collapsed under relentless pressure, with Tristan Stubbs, Axar Patel and Nitish Rana also falling cheaply. The Capitals slumped to 13/6 in the Powerplay — the lowest Powerplay total in IPL history.
Impact substitute Abishek Porel offered brief resistance with 30 off 33 balls, while David Miller added 19, helping Delhi crawl past the 50-run mark.
Hazlewood returned to finish off the innings with outstanding figures of 4/12, while Bhuvneshwar claimed 3/5 in a superb spell. Delhi were eventually bowled out for 75 in 16.3 overs.
Chasing a modest target of 76, Bengaluru attacked from the outset.
Jacob Bethell struck a rapid 20 off 11 balls before falling to Kyle Jamieson, but Devdutt Padikkal ensured there would be no drama. The left-hander blasted an unbeaten 34 from just 13 deliveries, including three fours and three sixes.
At the other end, Virat Kohli remained unbeaten on 23 from 15 balls and reached another historic milestone by becoming the first batter to score 9,000 runs in IPL history.
RCB raced to 77/1 in just 6.3 overs, sealing one of the fastest wins ever recorded in the tournament.
Player of the Match: Josh Hazlewood for his brilliant figures of 4/12.
Punjab Kings vs Rajasthan Royals
Attention now turns to today’s clash as Punjab Kings take on Rajasthan Royals in another key contest in the race for the playoffs.
Punjab Kings have impressed with their aggressive batting this season, led by Shreyas Iyer, Prabhsimran Singh and Priyansh Arya, while Rajasthan Royals boast dangerous match-winners such as Yashasvi Jaiswal, Riyan Parag and Jofra Archer.
With valuable points at stake, both teams will be eager to strengthen their playoff hopes in what promises to be an exciting encounter.
The match will be broadcast live across Afghanistan on Ariana Television.