DC vs RCB IPL 2025 Match 46 Highlights: Krunal and Kohli lead RCB to a six-wicket win

Delhi Capitals played host to the Royal Challengers Bengaluru in a blockbuster clash between two of the most successful teams of the season. After coming short against the same team at their home early in the season, the visitors picked up their seventh victory of the season.

Batting first, even though Delhi Capitals got off to a flier thanks to Abhishek Porel, Royal Challengers Bengaluru bounced back strongly. Josh Hazlewood picked up the first wicket in his first over, breaking the opening stand. Yash Dayal too picked up a wicket in the fifth over, while Bhuvneshwar Kumar was pretty expensive in the first six overs. The rate of scoring went drastically down after the first six overs. KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis struggled to maintain a healthy strike rate. The RCB spinners, Krunal Pandya and Suyash Sharma, bowled with great control and did not give anything away. In the final few overs, Bhuvneshwar picked up three wickets while Tristan Stubbs played a fiery knock.

In the second innings, RCB was put in some trouble in the power play with some disciplined bowling from DC. They lost three wickets in the power play and looked like they would lose their first game away from home. However, Krunal Pandya and Virat Kohli stitched together a 119-run stand for the fourth wicket, sealing the win for their side.

Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2025 Match 46: Man of the Match

Krunal Pandya was named the player of the match for his all-round performance. The left-arm spinner picked up a wicket in the first innings while giving away only 28 runs. However, in the second innings, Krunal, after being promoted in the batting order, remained unbeaten and sealed the win for his side. The left-handed batter scored 73 runs in only 47 balls, hitting five fours and four sixes. 

Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2025 Match 46: Top Performers

Krunal Pandya - 1/28 and 73* (47)

Krunal Pandya has been an incredible bowler for the Royal Challengers Bengaluru this season. Away from home, the left-arm spinner has contributed massively with the ball in hand. The left-arm spinner picked up a wicket in the first innings and gave away only 28 runs in his four overs. His economical spell created a lot of pressure on the DC batters, and as a result, they lost wickets to other bowlers.
With the bat in hand, Krunal top-scored for the visitors in the second innings. The left-handed batter was given a promotion in the batting order after RCB found themselves in deep trouble in the power play. He scored 73 runs in only 47 balls and smashed five fours and four sixes. 

Bhuvneshwar Kumar - 3/33

Bhuvneshwar Kumar made a strong comeback in the first innings. The veteran pacer conceded 25 runs in his first two overs. However, coming in to bowl in the death stage, Bhuvneshwar picked up a couple of wickets in the 17th over. Bowling the last over, he dismissed Tristan Stubbs, who was looking very dangerous. With Tristan’s wicket, Bhuvneshwar overtook Piyush Chawla and became the second-highest wicket-taker in the history of the IPL. 

Virat Kohli - 51 (47)

There is no other batter than Virat Kohli who can so consistently see off chases. The former RCB skipper scored yet another half-century in a successful chase. While Kohli could not remain unbeaten to finish off the game, he still made sure that his team was right on top of the clash when he went back to the pavilion. Kohli scored 51 runs in 47 balls, hitting four fours. He stitched a 119-run stand with Krunal Pandya for the fourth wicket that sealed the win for his side. 

Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2025 Match 46: 1st Innings Summary

Royal Challengers Bengaluru, with their all-round bowling performance, showed why they have been such a great team away from home. Josh Hazlewood continued to bowl with control and also picked up a couple of wickets. Hazlewood’s wicket of Abhishek Porel completely changed the momentum in the power play. Porel was going all guns blazing and had scored 28 runs in 10 balls before being dismissed. 

Porel’s knock was put in perspective after looking at how KL Rahul and Faf du Plessis batted. The two experienced players could find the timing on a slower surface in Delhi. Even though Rahul top-scored with 41 runs, he chewed up 39 balls before being dismissed by Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Tristan Stubbs' fiery knock in the death overs pushed the Capitals to a highly respectable total. He scored 34 runs in only 18 balls, hitting five fours and a six. 

Bhuvneshwar, in spite of conceding 25 runs in his first two overs, made a strong comeback. In his next two overs, the veteran pacer only gave away eight runs and also climbed to the second spot on the highest wicket-taker list in the history of the IPL. Hazlewood, too, with a couple of wickets, climbed to the top of the Purple Cap list of IPL 2025. 

Delhi Capitals vs Royal Challengers Bengaluru IPL 2025 Match 46: 2nd Innings Summary

In the second innings, Delhi Capitals carried on with the momentum they gained in the last few overs of the first innings into the power play. The hosts took three wickets in the first six overs and put RCB under a great deal of pressure. With Phil Salt missing from the top of the order, it was a rare failure for the visitors with the bat in hand. 

Axar Patel bowled three overs in the power play and gave away only 10 runs while picking up two wickets. The left-arm spinner dismissed debutant Jacob Bethell and Devdutt Padikkal. A moment of brilliance in the field from Karun Nair sent the RCB skipper, Rajat Patidar, back to the pavilion.

Krunal Pandya was given a promotion in the batting order to maintain a left-right combination. Even though he started pretty slowly, the left-handed batter scored his first half-century of the season and only second in the history of the tournament, reaching the milestone in 38 balls. 

The two batters stitched together a 119-run stand for the fourth wicket. It was the highest fourth-wicket partnership in the season so far. Even with Virat Kohli dismissed after scoring his sixth half-century of the season, RCB went on to register an emphatic six-wicket victory with Krunal remaining unbeaten with a 73-run knock. Tim David hit the winning runs scoring 19 runs in five balls to finish the match with nine balls to spare.