(PS-IPL/BCCI)
Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) beat Chennai Super Kings (CSK) by two runs in the 52nd match of IPL 2025 in Bengaluru.
Shepherd’s storm in the last two overs:
Romario Shepherd played a blinder against CSK after coming in to bat in the 18th over. In the 19th over, Shepherd hit four sixes and two fours off Khaleel Ahmed. In the 20th over, he struck two fours and two sixes to take RCB to 213/5. Shepherd remained unbeaten on 53 off just 14 balls, with a strike rate of 378.57, including four fours and six sixes. He was adjudged the Player of the Match.
Ayush Mhatre’s brilliant knock:
Ayush opened the innings for CSK, and as long as he was at the crease, CSK looked on course to win the match. He hit every ball of Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s second over for a boundary, taking 26 runs from it. Ayush had a solid opening partnership of 51 runs with Shaik Rasheed and later shared a century stand of 114 runs with Ravindra Jadeja. He scored 94 runs off 48 balls at a strike rate of 195.83, including nine fours and five sixes.
Yash Dayal’s last over heroics:
CSK needed 15 runs off the final over. Yash Dayal conceded just two runs off the first two balls and then dismissed MS Dhoni on the third, tilting the game in RCB’s favor. However, he bowled a waist-high no-ball on the next delivery, which was hit for six, swinging the momentum back to CSK. Despite the pressure, Dayal bowled three excellent deliveries to restrict CSK to 211, giving RCB a thrilling two-run victory.