Royal Challengers Bengaluru made it two wins in two at home. This was their fourth consecutive victory in IPL 2025 following a loss to PBKS. Asked to bat first, RCB posted 213/5 in 20 overs. Chasing the total, CSK played superbly but were restricted to 211/5 in their 20 overs.
Bethell dazzles
Jacob Bethell, who came into the RCB side as a replacement for Phil Salt (who is unwell), started off in a flash, hitting Khaleel Ahmed for three fours in the first over. He made full use of the powerplay and the erring bowlers to bring up his maiden IPL fifty. He ended with 55 off 33 balls, with eight fours and two sixes.
Kohli reclaims Orange Cap
Another game, another fifty for the King. Virat Kohli has now registered four consecutive half-centuries this IPL. He started cautiously, picking singles before dispatching a short ball from Khaleel for six, which shifted his momentum. His timing was spot on, and he scored 62 off 33 deliveries with five fours and five sixes. He struggled slightly against Ravindra Jadeja, but after Bethell’s dismissal, Kohli ensured the innings stayed on track.
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Collapse after Kohli’s dismissal
When Kohli holed out to Khaleel off Sam Curran’s bowling, RCB were cruising at 121/2 in 11.5 overs. Then Noor Ahmad and Matheesha Pathirana brought CSK back into the contest, claiming three wickets for 36 runs in the next 35 balls. RCB’s innings threatened to derail — until a storm hit the Chinnaswamy.
Shepherd storm hits CSK
With RCB on 159/5 and the Chinnaswamy subdued, Khaleel returned to bowl the 19th over and Romario Shepherd exploded. He hammered 33 runs off the over, with four towering sixes and two fours. In the 20th over, he wasn’t done — taking 20 more runs off Pathirana with two fours and two sixes. His 14-ball half-century is now the joint second-fastest in IPL history.
Bethell, speaking in the post-match interview about Shepherd’s innings, said: “It was pretty incredible to watch. I don’t think he middled many balls there, but he was still smacking it two tiers out. Shows the power of the man, and it was nice for him to do that.”
Mhatre takes CSK close
The 17-year-old Ayush Mhatre was on absolute fire. He didn’t allow any bowler to settle and his blistering 94 off 48 balls was a breath of fresh air in CSK’s batting approach. With nine fours and five sixes, he took apart RCB’s bowling with complete authority.
Jadeja’s sword flashes again
Jadeja stayed unbeaten on 77 off 45 deliveries. Not only did he hit big sixes, but he also ran hard between the wickets. He punished anything loose and nearly carried CSK across the line.
His failure to finish off a match Chennai Super Kings (CSK) should have won easily was another reminder that MS Dhoni is no longer the finisher he once was. Each such failure brings retirement closer.@BoriaMajumdar writes.#MSDhoni #RCBvCSK @ChennaiIPL https://t.co/VWWBxuwU8q
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 3, 2025
Dayal delivers under pressure
With 15 runs needed off the final over, Yash Dayal was handed the ball. He would have had mixed emotions — from being hit for five sixes by Rinku Singh to winning a match in 2024 at the death. He began with two perfect yorkers. Then, with 13 required off four balls, MS Dhoni was trapped lbw by a low full toss.
Drama followed — a high full toss meant a six and a no-ball from Dayal, bringing the equation to five off three. But he held his nerve, delivering three near-perfect yorkers to seal the win for RCB by two runs.
RCB skipper Rajat Patidar said, “He is a main bowler of the team, a death specialist. It was a clear-cut thought to give the last over to Yash. Last year also, he did well and I’m happy for him.”
RCB now top the table with 16 points from 11 games. For the first time in IPL history, they’ve completed a league double over CSK. The men in yellow, meanwhile, are almost inventing new ways to lose games — with the 17-year-old Mhatre the only ray of sunshine in an increasingly turbulent season.
RCB with one leg in Playoffs | Mhatre’s Heroics in Vain as CSK Fall Short in Thriller https://t.co/ej4mXWn3sD
— RevSportz Global (@RevSportzGlobal) May 3, 2025