Many years ago, Michael Jordan, the great basketballer, said the following lines, “Some people want it to happen, some wish it would happen, others make it happen.” Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB), after being on the periphery of success for long, seem to finally be showcasing the kind of mentality that is associated with the winners. Not once, not twice, but thrice RCB have come from behind to register victories in IPL 2025.
To sift through some evidence, let’s take a deep dive into the RR-RCB game. Dhruv Jurel and Shubham Dubey combined to collect 22 runs in the 18th over, off the experienced Bhuvneshwar Kumar. Amid the doom and gloom of the Chinnaswamy stadium, Josh Hazlewood proceeded to execute his plans to near-perfection to bring the smiles back on the faces of RCB’s fans.
The veteran seamer seemed to watch the feet of the batters like a hawk to blend yorkers with hit-the-deck bowling, as RR added a single run to their tally. Yash Dayal then provided the finishing touches as RCB sealed the thriller by 11 runs.
Also Read : RCB vs RR, IPL 2025: Virat Kohli fulfills Anushka Sharma’s Wish, RCB’s Post Goes Viral
In the cauldron of bubbling tensions, those 11 players were able to soak up the pressure. Just consider this: Before RR’s Wanindu Hasaranga was about to take strike off the last ball of the 19th, Hazlewood asked for the third-man fielder to be placed very fine. As it happened, Hasaranga eked out a thick outside edge that was stopped by that very fielder positioned at third man. In a nutshell, Hazlewood had the composure to think about what could be the scoring options of a lower-order-batter.
Some days ago, too, RCB were in a spot of bother when they locked horns against Mumbai Indians in front of a sea of blue. Hardik Pandya, the MI skipper, and Tilak Verma mounted a serious challenge to put their side on course to pull off a jailbreak. However, Bhuvneshwar, Hazlewood and Krunal Pandya put paid to their hopes in the slog overs. Such was the desperation shown by RCB to win the game that Krunal, the left-arm spinner, ushered in bouncers.
In the opening game of the season, RCB were again feeling the pressure. At 107 for 1 in the10th over, KKR would have eyed a score well in excess of 200. RCB’s bowlers, though, pulled back the opposition’s charge and kept them down to just 173. Even in the RCB-PBKS encounter in Mullanpur, their bowlers showed the required mental aptitude to bowl 17 yorkers and restrict the opposition to just 28 runs in the final four overs.
Despite RCB’s impressive performances, it is better to throw in a word of caution. In the past, RCB have come close to winning the coveted title three times, only to lose in the summit clash. Who knows? It may once more turn out to be a case of so near, yet so far for RCB and their fans. However, this season, beneath the exterior, the players seem to have that little bit of extra hunger to make ‘ee sala cup namde’ a reality.
Follow Revsportz for more sports related news
Also check out
Josh Hazlewood takes crucial wickets to hand RCB a first home win in IPL 2025. The 11-run win boosts their playoff chances and makes RR’s poor campaign worse.
✍🏻 @atreyom #RCBvsRR https://t.co/aeykURUiR9
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) April 24, 2025