Royal Challengers Bengaluru defeated Rajasthan Royals by 11 runs in the ongoing IPL 2025. The Riyan Parag-led side was in total control of the match but towards the end, Josh Hazlewood changed the complexion of the game, helping RCB win the match.
If bottling is an art, Rajasthan would have mastered it. They lost back-to-back games to Lucknow Super Giants and Delhi Capitals in the final overs, where Dhruv Jurel and Shimron Hetmyer failed to chase nine runs in the final over. It happened twice in a row and things were expected to get better against Royal Challengers Bengaluru as Rajasthan were once again in full control but they failed to capitalise yet again, suffering their fifth straight defeat in the ongoing IPL 2025.
Batting first, RCB openers Virat Kohli and Phil Salt managed a solid start as they stitched a partnership of 61 runs. It set the momentum for the team, which later Kohli and Devdutt Padikkal capitalised on. Star India batter Virat Kohli scored his fourth half-century in his last six innings and also surpassed Chris Gayle’s tally of most 50+ runs in T20s. Only David Warner is ahead of him on the list.
Notably, Kohli scored 70 runs off 42 deliveries while Padikkal made 50 off 27 and, courtesy of their heroics, Bengaluru posted 205 runs on the board in the first innings. Sandeep Sharma picked up two wickets for RR in the first innings.
When it came to the chase, youngster Yashasvi Jaiwal wreaked havoc, smacking boundaries for fun. He set the platform for RR, scoring 49 runs off 19 balls but after his dismissal, things slightly changed for the visitors. Especially when RCB introduced their spinners. Yet Nitish Rana and Riyan Parag kept the team in the hunt. After their dismissals, things got extremely complicated but Dhruv Jurel played his shots from time to time to keep the scoreboard in check.
However, towards the end, Josh Hazlewood changed the game. The Australia international clinched four wickets and won the game for RCB. With that, RCB managed to beat RR by 11 runs.