Dayal the hero again as RCB win a classic at Chinnaswamy

Does lightning strike twice? Yash Dayal will say it does. He was the hero for RCB, until he so nearly wasn't, but then he came back, and won it all for RCB! Oh, my word, what an absolute thriller this has been... an RCB-CSK classic. For the second time in two years, Dayal has stopped the Dhoni magic at Chinnaswamy. With 14 to defend in the final over, he nails a yorker first ball, then nails it again before defeating Dhoni with an pinpoint yorker on middle stumps. Dhoni reviews, but to no avail. The ball is smashing into leg stump.

With 13 needed off three, Dayakl gives CSK a gift and a huge lift. A waist-high no-ball which Shivam Dube swats away for six. What has Dayal done? The no-ball wasn't called on-field but CSK reviewed and it was definitely above the waist.

That's brought down the equation to six off three. CSK's game, surely? Nope! For a second time in two years, Dayal has held his nerves brilliantly. He bowls three perfect yorkers and that is that. CSK can only score four off the final three balls and go down by two runs. There is absolute pandemonium at the ground with Yash Dayal running all over the field and finally gets engulfed by his team-mates. The crowd has gone crazy, it's a nail-biter for the ages.

The win takes RCB to 16 points, to the top spot on the points table and ever so close to a playoffs spot. For CSK, the misery continues.

Virat Kohli has dropped an absolute sitter. Oh, my word! This is unbelievable and the tension at the ground is palpable. The RCB and the CSK chants are all down. Everyone's on the edge of their seats. Dhoni slams Bhuvneshwar for six to ease the nerves as CSK need 15 off the last over.

And it is Ngidi who flips it with two wickets in an over! He first gets rid of Mhatre and the very next ball has Brevis trapped lbw. But there is a bit of confusion with Brevis' dismissal. The umpire gives it out immediately, and then a direct hit is fired. The two CSK batters keep running, and then Brevis goes up to Jadeja to consult for the review. By that time, the umpire says that the 15-second time has run out. However, the timer never flashed on the screen at the ground. Jadeja has a huge argument with the umpire, but Brevis has to walk back for a first ball duck. Replays later show that Brevis would have been out out on review was the ball was sliding down leg.

Jadeja slams Ngidi for a 109m six and also reaches his highest T20 score. MS Dhoni walks in, meanwhile. His bat fails the gauge test initially, but goes through eventually. Suyash Sharma bowls a superb 18th over, which goes for only six.

Are the wheels coming off? It's all happening in Bengaluru and this game, like so many RCB-CSK classics, is shaping up to be a humdinger. Mhatre continues to go after Bhuvneshwar and enters the 90s with a fierce six over extra cover. But that could have been the end of his stay. He slices Yash Dayal to extra cover, where Rajat Patidar turns and dives but can't hold onto the catch. Off the final ball, Jadeja pulls straight down deep fine leg's throat but Ngidi drops the catch.

Proper cliffhanger!

It's not been the easiest of seasons so far for Ravindra Jadeja, both with bat and ball, but his move up to No. 4 seems to be paying dividends. He's had his struggles against spin, but he has overcome those this evening. He's reached his 50 off just 29 balls. Of these, he's scored 27 off 12 against spin and 23 off 17 against pace. He's already hit three fours and six against spin, while three of his fours have come against pace.

Do these kids have no fear these days? First Vaibhav Suryavanshi, now Ayush Mhatre. And such mesmerizingly clean ball striking. Romario Shepherd gets some taste of his own medicine as Mhatre lays into him. A swiped pull straight into stands over deep square leg is followed by the purest pull seen all evening, a 98m six deposited miles over deep midwicket. Ravindra Jadeja also seems to have found his stride. He hammers Suyash Sharma for a six over deep midwicket, followed by a fierce cut through point. Patidar, while diving to his right at extra cover there, has also done himself some damage. He's gone off the field and Kohli is leading in his absence.

This has turned into a proper contest now. For the first time, CSK's win probability is higher.

In what has been a season to forget for RCB, Ayush Mhatre has been one of the few bright spots for them. In a tough chase, he's raced to his maiden IPL fifty off just 25 balls. This has been clean, effortless hitting by the 17-year-old. No across-the-line swipes, no slogs, just clean ball striking. He's already struck seven fours and two sixes in his knock, and CSK will hope for a lot more from him. CSK are behind the required rate at this stage, but unlike some of their recent high run-chases, the run rate has not spiraled out of control yet. Some RCB-CSK banter meanwhile is on in the crowd.

Just when it seemed CSK were on for a huge powerplay having reached 49 for 0 after four overs, they have been brought down to earth. Krunal Pandya, like he has done all season, gets hold of the first wicket with Rasheed slashing to point before Sam Curran's ugly across the line swipe goes straight up with Jitesh Sharma taking a simple catch. CSK's powerplay ends on 58 for 2. Jadeja comes in at No. 4.

Overs 5 and 6

Ayush Mhatre is yet another teen batting sensation from Mumbai. He's had three innings so far in the IPL and shown what he's made of. This evening, he's laying into one of the most experienced bowlers in Indian cricket: Bhuvneshwar Kumar. He hits three back-to-back fours against the bowler before smashing a six over wide long-on. he then finds a gap between extra cover and mid-off and ends the fourth over with a delicate steer past short third to collect 26 runs off the Bhuvi over.

And just like that, the CSK fans have found their voice in the stands. For the first time this evening, there are loud roars of CSK, CSK ringing around the venue.

One of the biggest reasons behind CSK’s poor season has been their openers. They have used four different pairs in IPL 2025, and have the lowest average opening partnership (19.9) and the worst run rate by openers (7.6) among all teams this IPL. Chasing a huge target, CSK have once again been slow off the blocks, managing just 23 runs in the first three overs, which included a four and six by Shaikh Rasheed.

RCB in the last two overs: 54/0
RCB in the seven overs before that: 45 for 4

RCB's projected score when Romario Shepherd walked out to bat was 185. His blitz has taken RCB to a mammoth 213 for 5! Imagine Tim David being a spectator at the other end. Wow!

Oh, hang on! CSK were prepared for big David in the death... Romario Shepherd has come out of the syllabus and he's absolutely laid into Khaleel Ahmed and Pathirana. A six over deep midwicket, a whack over long-on, a slower ball scythed over short third, a full ball smoked over long-on, a short of a length no-ball slapped over deep extra cover, and he ends the over with a swipe over short fine leg. Oh, my word! Absolute bedlam in the Bengaluru stands. They had quietened down a bit, but this 33-run 19th over changed the plot completely.

He then takes hold of Pathirana with two fours and then two mammoth sixes to race to a 14-ball fifty with four fours and four sixes. He has absolutely smoked the CSK bowling to all corners of the Chinnaswamy. This is the joint second fastest fifty in the history of the IPL, with only Yashasvi Jaiswal's 13-ball fifty ahead of him.

RCB have hammered 54 runs in the last two overs, with Shepherd alone smoking 52 of those. What brutal hitting!

He's already hit 11 sixes in the death overs, the most for any batter and has a strike rate of 228! He has a huge task up his sleeve, now that RCB have lost their captain Rajat Patidar as well. This has been a proper choke from CSK, who have given nothing away in the second half of the innings. Matheesha Pathirana, meanwhile, continues his great run. He's already picked nine wickets in the death this season, the most for any bowler. He has one between overs 17-20 this evening, and three overall.

Tim David in IPL 2025: Inns – 7, Runs – 184, Outs – 2, SR – 198, 50s – 1, HS – 50*

There have been a few quiet overs, with both Kohli, Padikkal falling in quick succession. That has also meant that the yellow voices in the stands have found a bit of their voice. Padikkal whacked a four and a six against Sam Curran but fell to Matheesha Pathirana. Jitesh Sharma was then expertly caught at long-on by Curran, who relayed the catch to Dewald Brevis.

RCB have scored just 33 runs between overs 12.1 to 16.6 and lost two wickets.

Rajat Patidar has been going through a dip in his batting form this season. He has not crossed 25 runs in any of his last five innings. In the reverse fixture, he was the player of the match, scoring an excellent half century in challenging conditions at Chepauk. RCB will now want their captain to fire, especially with their three in-form players gone.

Rajat Patidar in IPL 2025: First four innings: Runs – 161, Avg – 40.3, SR – 175, 50s – 2| Last five innings: Runs – 67, Avg – 13.4, SR – 106, HS - 25

Virat Kohli 8
David Warner 7
KL Rahul 6
Shikhar Dhawan 5

His tenth against CSK in the IPL, the most for any player. Coming into the game, he had the most runs against CSK in the league and he is making sure to widen the gap. His 1146 runs against CSK are also the most for any batter against a single team in the IPL. And with this fifty, Kohli has also equalled Warner's record of 62 fifties in IPL.

Kohli has fallen to Sam Curran twice in T20 cricket in 12 innings, and falls to him a third time, but not before getting RCB to a solid position. He also now has the orange cap with him. This season, RCB have won all the matches in which Kohli has scored a half century. Will his seventh fifty also result in an RCB win?

Bethell's first appearance of the season, against Delhi Capitals on Sunday, was as full-on as it gets: walking out to delirious cheers for his opening partner, and facing a new-ball attack of Axar Patel and Mitchell Starc. He slog-swept his sixth ball to deep backward square, but in whipping a six and a four over the leg side of Starc, Bethell gave the IPL a glimpse of his quality.

Starc offered a wry smile after both of Bethell's boundaries. "We were laughing about it at breakfast," Alyssa Healy, the Australia women's captain and Starc's wife, said on the Willow Talk podcast. "Mitch said, 'I executed! That ball was top of off. That's exactly what I was told to bowl.' And he's gone for six over backward square… This kid is an absolute gun."

Playing his first game at home in Bengaluru, opening the batting alongside Virat Kohli, Bethell has shown his class again. He's looked effortless, yet classy as he reached his fifty off just 28 balls, smashing eight fours and two sixes inside the first nine overs.

Just the kind of start RCB would have wanted after being sent in. They have amassed 71 runs in the powerplay, and more importantly, without losing a wicket. This is their best powerplay score this season at home, going past the 64 they scored against Delhi Capitals. They've had two better powerplay scores, 80 and 73 but both came in away games. CSK have served them buffet balls, to be fair. Khaleel Ahmed, who has picked nine wickets in the powerplay this IPL, the highest for any bowler, was all over the place. His two overs cost CSK 32 runs, with Bethell and Kohli both whacking him all over the place. Even spin did not do the trick for Dhoni, with Noor Ahmad taken for two fours and a six by Bethell.

Between Matheesha Pathirana and Ravindra Jadeja and the former is lying flat on his back. Jacob Bethell finally plays a false shot with the ball spooning straight up off the leading edge. Jadeja hares after it from backward point, Pathirana hares in from the deep. Both collide and the catch goes down. Pathirana seems to be hit on the face. The physio runs out. Good thing is that Pathirana is up but he is walking very gingerly towards the dugout. Kamlesh Nagarkoti is the sub

“I would say one team that, historically, I’ve felt we’ve had the most intense games with is Chennai Super Kings in Bengaluru. Because in Chennai, of course, there are Chennai fans—it’s just yellow and CSK fans everywhere. But to play against CSK in Bengaluru is something else, because a lot of Chennai fans come to Bengaluru. CSK fans travel in huge numbers, so they buy tickets very early and take over a section of the stadium. So, there’s an intense atmosphere inside the stadium in Bengaluru when playing against CSK. And then, obviously, the game also gets very intense and competitive. That environment is the most exciting I’ve been a part of.”

This was Virat Kohli not long ago describing how he felt playing a RCB-CSK game in Bengaluru. The atmosphere as things stand, feels electric. Yes, the crowd is mostly filled with red shirts, but there are a lot of CSK fans as well in the stadium. Generally, when the crowd goes Aaaarceeebeee here, the voice echoes; this evening it's being followed by CSK chants. And, loudly.

Jacob Bethell has started well, slamming Khaleel Ahmed for three back-to-back fours. Kohli finally gets the strike in the second over and is off the mark with a quick single. Bethell then goes one better in Khaleel's second over thumping a pull over deep midwicket for six. Kohli also gets his six meter running lacing a thunderous pull over fine leg which has brought the house down before whipping Khaleel for a six over deep square leg. WOWZA!

A couple of interesting pointers from the toss. Josh Hazlewood's injury will definitely be a talking point. He has the purple cap, has been relentless across phases and has been quite effective at home. He was walking very gingerly all along, though it remains unclear what his injury is. The other thing is Phil Salt remains unavailable. He missed RCB's last game due to illness and is yet to recover. Hardly surprising that CSK remains unchanged.

RCB will likely bring in Suyash Sharma for Devdutt Padikkal when they bowl, while Shivam Dube should come in as the Impact Player for Khaleel Ahmed.

Huge cheers for MS Dhoni as he walks out for the toss. He was casually warming up with a game of football not long ago. Time for the toss. Rajat Patidar has the coin, MS Dhoni calls correctly and CSK will bowl. Same team for CSK, while Ngidi comes in for Hazlewood.

RCB: Virat Kohli, Bethell, Padikkal, Patidar (capt), Romario Shepherd, Jitesh Sharma, Tim David, Krunal Pandya, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Lungi Ngidi, Yash Dayal

Impact players: Rasikh Dar, Manoj Bhandage, Swapnil Singh, Suyash Sharma, Liam Livingstone

CSK: Ayush Mhatre, Shaikh Rasheed, Sam Curran, Ravindra Jadeja, Deepak Hooda, MS Dhoni (capt and wk), Anshul Kamboj, Noor Ahmad, Khaleed Ahmed, Matheesha Pathirana

Impact players: Shivam Dube, R Ashwin, Jamie Overton, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ramakrishna Ghosh

Pitch Report: Equidistant square boundaries - 64m to each side, with a 73m hit straight down the ground, when bowling from the South End. Pitch no.7 is being used, where 200 has already been scored this season. Shane Watson says the pitch looks nice and it feels drier than usual, with lesser grass covering. There may not be as much tennis-ball bounce and the ball might come on truer, with the batters being able to trust the bounce more. Watson says he will not be surprised if the team batting first puts up a big total.

Bright and clear! It was a very hot afternoon earlier today, which generally means evening rains but so far the weather has held well. No signs of rain as yet, though the forecast does have some rain around 9pm local time.

Meanwhile, all signs point to Josh Hazlewood missing this game. He walked in very gingerly into the field, and has hardly done any warm-ups or bowled. He is chatting with Freddie Wilde, the team analyst. Lungi Ngidi has marked his run-up as well. How bug a blow will that be if Hazlewood pulls up unfit!